LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

May 09/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may09.16.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006

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Bible Quotations For Today

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13/31-35:"When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, "Where I am going, you cannot come. "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

He has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all
Letter to the Ephesians 01/15-23:"I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."

Pope Francis's Tweet For Today

Love, by its nature, is communication; it leads to openness and sharing

L’amour, par nature, est communication, il conduit à s’ouvrir et non pas à s’isoler

الحب بطبيعته تواصل يقود للإنفتاح وعدم الإنعزال

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 09/16

Lebanon votes/Now Lebanon/May 08/16

Meet the First Muslim Mayor of London/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/May 08/16
Khamenei's Anti-Americanism/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/May 08/16
The Crucifixion of Aleppo/Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
The Shadows of Baghdad’s Political fight: Tall Enough to Reach Mosul/Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
Iran Runoff Elections Secure Moderates Win, But How Much Will It Change Things/Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
Putin, the US and the Need for a New American Strategy in the Middle East/Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
Turkey and Iraq convulse: Bad news for Iran/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
Why the son of a Pakistani bus driver became London’s mayor/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
Saudi Vision 2030, reform and character change/Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
The Saudi Binladin Group deserves support/Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
The Secret Life of Sadiq Khan, London’s First Muslim Mayor/Maajid Nawaz/The Daily Beast/May 09/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 09/16

Lebanon votes
Iranian Resistance calls for immediate care for sick political prisoners and their unconditional release
Iran regime admits high casualties in Aleppo battle
Iran regime officials fear popularity of social media
Eight Police Killed near Cairo in Attack Claimed by IS
Turkish Army Kills 55 IS Members in Syria
Israeli ex-President Katsav, Jailed for Rape, Seeks Pardon
Netanyahu Vows to Press Hunt for Gaza Tunnels
Afghan Road Crash Inferno Leaves at Least 73 Dead
Spain Awaits Return of Three Journalists Kidnapped in Syria
French President Hollande Leads WWII Commemorations in Paris
Residents return as truce extended in Syria’s Aleppo
ISIS uses 2,000 families in Iraq’s Fallujah as ‘human shields’
Yemeni peace talks postponed indefinitely
U.N. Envoy Bids to Break Yemen Peace Talks Impasse
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 09/16

Lebanon's municipal and mayoral elections:: Early Results: Mustaqbal Says 'Beirutis List' Won Capital Municipal Vote as Christian Parties Lead in Zahle
Polls Close in Beirut, Bekaa Municipal Elections amid Low Turnout in Capital
Hariri: Absence of Hizbullah from 'Beirutis' Municipal List an Asset for Capital
Brawls, Vote Buying Claims in Tense Zahle as Hizbullah Backs Candidates from 3 Lists
Jumblat in Sarcastic Remark after Hariri Casts Ballot in Wrong Box
Kaag Hails Municipal Elections, Urges End to Presidential Vacuum
Mashnouq: Lebanese Proved that They Deserve Freedom and Democracy
Mashnouq: Municipal Elections Going Well, Priority is to Elect President
Salam Says Municipal Elections a 'National Moment to Say our Word'
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel: Today's election gives hope of power rotation
 

Links From Jihad Watch Site for May 09/16
UK: Devout Muslim gets 16 years for rape of schoolgirls
Canada imam wants to debate Robert Spencer, but only before groups that condemned him
UK: Conservatives unapologetic for highlighting Muslim London mayor’s ties to jihadis
Ohio jihad attack victim: “I didn’t come to America to have the president preach about Islam”
EBay restores listing for Bosch Fawstin’s winning Muhammad cartoon
Marine Corps chief calls Chattanooga jihad attack “tragic and needless”
UK: Muslim Navy officer joins the Islamic State
Pakistan’s ruling party hails Muslim London mayor’s win over “millionaire Jew”
Hugh Fitzgerald: The European Commission and the Latest “Rights Of Man”
Naming the Enemy — on The Glazov Gang
Prince Turki: Saudis will get nukes if Iranians do

Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 0916

Lebanon's municipal and mayoral elections:: Early Results: Mustaqbal Says 'Beirutis List' Won Capital Municipal Vote as Christian Parties Lead in Zahle
The first round of Lebanon's municipal and mayoral elections was held Sunday in the capital Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-al-Hermel, in the first vote of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010.
According to early results, the Mustaqbal-backed "Beirutis List" appeared poised to win the municipal elections in the capital.
"The Beirutis List has won all the seats of the municipal council, according to early results," al-Mustaqbal movement's campaign said.
Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq, who is close to Mustaqbal, meanwhile announced on Twitter that "the Beirutis List has won," calling on the rival lists to "seek to act as a shadow municipality."
Earlier in the evening, Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri said: "I hope that we will win these elections and from tomorrow we will start working to achieve Beirut's interest."
But the rival Beirut Madinati list was still upbeat and optimistic around midnight, announcing that it had achieved good results in several polling stations and that only 30% of votes had been counted until the moment.
Meanwhile, a coalition of the country's main Christian parties -- the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party -- was leading in the Bekaa city of Zahle, according to media reports and a statement by an FPM official.
"Zahle is the beginning... congratulations to the Christian accord,” MP Ibrahim Kanaan of the FPM tweeted.
MTV meanwhile reported that the list backed by Christian parties was leading in the Christian polling stations.
Voters from Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-Hermel districts headed to the polling stations to cast their ballots amid tight security measures.
Polls closed at 7:00 pm in all areas in Beirut and the Bekaa amid a voter turnout of around 49.02% in the Bekaa and 20.14% in the capital, the Interior Ministry announced.
"Voter turnout was low in Beirut but higher than that recorded in 2010," said Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq at a press conference he held after the vote.
"The elections were held in a largely peaceful atmosphere," he noted.
"The Lebanese proved that they deserve freedom and democracy and that they are ready for the upcoming junctures," the minister added.
The Internal Security Forces said a day earlier that heavy security measures would be taken during the election process and that motorcycles were banned from the roads except ones having licenses to roam the streets on the election day.
Over 20,000 security forces and military members oversaw the safety of the electoral process throughout Lebanon.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said later on Sunday that the voting got under way without incident.
An Interior Ministry statement said that the polling stations opened at 7 a.m. in Beirut and in two provinces of the Bekaa region in the first stage of a vote to last until May 29 in five other provinces.
It is the first election of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010, in a country that has not had a president for the past two years nor held legislative elections since 2009.
The four-stage municipal elections started in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on Sunday, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15.
Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.
Two lists in Beirut contended a list backed by al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri and other parties that are represented in the government -- the Beirutis List.
Beirutis' main competitors were a secular group named Citizens In A State of which former Labor Minister Charbel Nahas is a member and the Beirut Madinati coalition -- a civic campaign of 24 candidates, equally split between men and women, and Muslims and Christians.
Hizbullah only backed neighborhood mayors, but not municipal candidates, in Beirut. The powerful Shiite party has a strong base in the country's south and the Bekaa Valley, and is fielding municipal candidates there.
Beirut Madinati includes teachers, fishermen and artists such as famed actress and film director Nadine Labaki.
The campaign was founded in 2015 shortly after a trash crisis in the summer sparked protests demanding a solution to growing piles of waste and an overhaul of paralyzed government institutions.
Coming out of a polling station in Beirut, a 43-year-old voter who gave his name only as Elie was enthusiastic.
"Even if just one candidate from Beirut Madinati gets in, it'll be a victory for civil society," said the employee of a money transfer company, who in 2010 had voted for the Hariri-backed list.
"We're fed up with this corrupt political class."
But 40-year-old Mariam said she had voted for the Hariri list because "it represents the people of Beirut."
Only about 470,000 voters are registered in the capital despite almost four times more people living there.
Many Beirutis are automatically registered to vote in the birthplace of their ancestors in other areas of the country.
Posters of the traditional candidates were plastered on the city's walls, while Beirut Madinati supporters took to social media to convince friends and acquaintances registered in Beirut to vote.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Suleiman expired amid failure by the rival political camps to agree on a candidate.
In the eastern city of Zahle, three lists competed in the municipal elections race.
One list “Zahle the Integrity” is backed by Popular Bloc leader Myriam Skaff, the widow of late Zahle politician Elie Skaff. Another list “Zahle is Worthy” is headed by Moussa Fattoush and a third is headed by former Zahle Mayor Asaad Zogheib and backed by the country's main Christian parties -- the FPM, the LF and Kataeb.
Official results are expected to be announced by the Interior Ministry on Monday.

Polls Close in Beirut, Bekaa Municipal Elections amid Low Turnout in Capital
The first round of Lebanon's municipal and mayoral elections was held Sunday in the capital Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-al-Hermel, in the first vote of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010. Voters from Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek-Hermel districts headed to the polling stations to cast their ballots amid tight security measures. Polls closed at 7:00 pm in all areas in Beirut and the Bekaa amid a voter turnout of around 40% in the city of Zahle and "slightly lower than 20%" in the capital, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced. "Voter turnout was low in Beirut but higher than that recorded in 2010," said Mashnouq at a press conference he held after the vote. "The elections were held in a largely peaceful atmosphere," he noted. "The Lebanese proved that they deserve freedom and democracy and that they are ready for the upcoming junctures," the minister added. The Internal Security Forces said a day earlier that heavy security measures would be taken during the election process and that motorcycles were banned from the roads except ones having licenses to roam the streets on the election day. Over 20,000 security forces and military members oversaw the safety of the electoral process throughout Lebanon.
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said later on Sunday that the voting got under way without incident. An Interior Ministry statement said that the polling stations opened at 7 a.m. in Beirut and in two provinces of the Bekaa region in the first stage of a vote to last until May 29 in five other provinces.
It is the first election of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010, in a country that has not had a president for the past two years nor held legislative elections since 2009. The four-stage municipal elections started in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on Sunday, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.
Two lists in Beirut contended a list backed by al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri and other parties that are represented in the government -- the Beirutis List. Beirutis' main competitors were a secular group named Citizens In A State of which former Labor Minister Charbel Nahas is a member and the Beirut Madinati coalition -- a civic campaign of 24 candidates, equally split between men and women, and Muslims and Christians. Hizbullah only backed neighborhood mayors, but not municipal candidates, in Beirut. The powerful Shiite party has a strong base in the country's south and the Bekaa Valley, and is fielding municipal candidates there. Beirut Madinati includes teachers, fishermen and artists such as famed actress and film director Nadine Labaki. The campaign was founded in 2015 shortly after a trash crisis in the summer sparked protests demanding a solution to growing piles of waste and an overhaul of paralyzed government institutions. Coming out of a polling station in Beirut, a 43-year-old voter who gave his name only as Elie was enthusiastic.
"Even if just one candidate from Beirut Madinati gets in, it'll be a victory for civil society," said the employee of a money transfer company, who in 2010 had voted for the Hariri-backed list. "We're fed up with this corrupt political class."But 40-year-old Mariam said she had voted for the Hariri list because "it represents the people of Beirut."Only about 470,000 voters are registered in the capital despite almost four times more people living there. Many Beirutis are automatically registered to vote in the birthplace of their ancestors in other areas of the country. Posters of the traditional candidates were plastered on the city's walls, while Beirut Madinati supporters took to social media to convince friends and acquaintances registered in Beirut to vote. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Suleiman expired amid failure by the rival political camps to agree on a candidate. In the eastern town of Zahle, three popular lists competed in the municipal elections race. One list “Zahle the Integrity” is backed by Popular Bloc leader Myriam Skaff, the widow of late Zahle politician Elie Skaff. Another list “Zahle is Worthy” is headed by Moussa Fattoush and a third is headed by former Zahle Mayor Asaad Zogheib and backed by the country's main Christian parties -- the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party.
Polling stations opened for 12 hours and the first results are expected overnight.

Lebanon votes
Now Lebanon/May 08/16
Independent candidates are challenging established political parties in the capital and Bekaa Valley.
A Lebanese woman after voting in Sunday
BEIRUT – Municipal elections have kicked off in Lebanon’s capital and the Bekaa Valley, the first round of voting in the county since 2010 as independent lists challenge the hegemony of established parties. Voter turnout was low in Sunday’s showcase race in Beirut where the Beirut Madinati (Beirut is My City) electoral list of civil society activists and technocratic candidates are contesting the 24-seat municipal council against a joint-list backed by a coalition of Lebanon’s major political parties, including the Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party, Amal Movement and Lebanese Forces.
While the vote in Beirut was mostly peaceful, outside fisticuffs between supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement in the Christian quarter of Ashrafieh, a chaotic situation reigned in the Bekaa Valley’s Zahle, where three different lists were competing amid clashes and allegations of wide-spread vote-buying.
Brawls also erupted in the Bekaa town of Jeb Jennin, forcing the Internal Security Forces—which has deployed over 20,000 officers across the country—to temporarily close one of the polling stations.
Lebanon’s Interior Ministry—which oversees the voting process, had earlier postponed voting in Jdita, Howsh Harima and Ain Ata due to security reasons.
Despite these incidents, the voting process was not marred by any serious security incidents, with politicians mostly lamenting the low turnout. Sunday’s vote is the first in a series of staggered elections, with Mount Lebanon set to vote next week, while south Lebanese voters will go to the polls on May 22, while the north of the country will vote at the end of the month.
Beirut
“Today is a historic opportunity to change the reality of Beirut for the better,” the Beirut Madinati list said in an early afternoon press conference in which the candidates appealed to citizens to cast their votes. “We have four hours to change six years,” the group added. Their main opponents, the Beirutis List, for its part, has exerted strong efforts to bring out voters, including in the Sunni-populated quarter of Tariq al-Jedideh, one of the Future Movement’s bastions of support in the capital, where party songs were played on the streets from the early hours of the morning. The list’s head, Jamal Itani, said a vote for him and his fellow candidates was one for “developing and reconstructing Beirut.”
Lebanon’s Interior Ministry announced earlier that only 10% of the nearly 500,000 residents registered to vote in Beirut had gone to the polls as of 1:00 p.m., a number that Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called “unacceptable.”
Beirut Madinati announced that they had “registered voting irregularities,” a claim seconded by the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections monitoring the voting process. According to LADE, there has been at least 35 incidents in Beirut, including “pressuring voters” at polling stations.In the Ashrafieh district, thought to be where the fiercest electoral battle will take place, the vote appeared to be split between the Beirutis List and Beirut Madinati.
At the voting stations, volunteers wearing t-shirts representing all major parties rushed to hand approaching voters slips of paper bearing the names of their candidates. Beirut Madinati’s volunteers were among the most numerous and active. “Monsieur, you should throw them out,” a young woman volunteering for Beirut Madinati said with a smile to a man carrying another list, “and vote for something new.”A young volunteer for Beirut Madinati in the Christian quarter’s Geitawi area, Joseph Khoury, told NOW’s correspondent in Beirut that “more than fifty percent” of voters so far had voted for their list. As NOW was speaking to him, a 30-something male voter passed and said, almost in a hushed voice, “Inshallah (God willing) you’ll win”. Beirut Madinati volunteers at other voting stations in Ashrafieh also struck an optimistic note, claiming that large numbers of people had cast their votes in support of the technocratic list of candidates. A “Beirutis’ List” volunteer told NOW he’s very confident they will win, though he admits Madinati are performing well, and could take a few seats. “It’s us and Madinati [in the race] – forget all the others”A middle-aged man who declined to give his name told NOW he had mixed his vote, nominating some from the Beirutis’ List and some from Beirut Madinati. “We choose who we want”, he told NOW. “Gone are the days of zay ma hiyye [literally “as it is”, referring to the practice of voting for lists in their entirety without amendment]. The Lebanese people have awoken. Nobody can grab your hand and force you to vote zay ma hiyye. We are human beings, not sheep.”
Zahle
Anger reigned in the normally quiet Christian city of Zahle, the capital of the Bekaa Valley where the Myriam Skaff, the wife of deceased local political heavyweight Elie Skaff, heads a list butting heads against “Zahle is Worthy” grouping led by Moussa Fattouch, the brother of one of the city’s parliamentarians, as well as another list headed by the city’s mayor that is backed by the country’s main Christian parties. Brawls erupted in the city’s Howsh al-Omara neighborhood between supporters of the Lebanese Forces and Skaff, whose political machine was accused of bribing residents for their vote. LF partisans went as far as attempting to storm one of the Skaff campaign offices in a bid to stop the purported bribery, according to NOW’s correspondent in the Bekaa. Lebanon’s army, which has been deployed in numbers across voting areas to ensure security, intervened to end the fighting. Lebanese Army intelligence officers reportedly raided an apartment in Howsh al-Omara following allegations that Fattouch’s campaigners were buying votes as well. One Zahle resident told NOW’s correspondent he was paid $500 by Fattouch’s campaign in order not vote at all, while other residents have had their ID cards confiscated, although this move did not stop them from voting with other people’s IDs. Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, however, announced in a press conference delivered in the city that security forces have not found any evidence of vote purchasing following raids it conducted.
Baalbek
Unlike elsewhere in Lebanon, turnout was heavy in the Bekaa town of Baalbek, one of Hezbollah’s bastions of support. Despite the party’s popularity in the town, notable families formed the Baalbek Madinati list to challenge the Development and Loyalty list backed by Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement, the two main Shiite party’s in the country. Similar lists have been formed in other Shiite-populated areas of the country amid growing dissatisfaction with local governance.
Although Hezbollah and Amal are expected to sweep the majority of municipalities they are contesting, Nasrallah’s party has taken the contests seriously enough that for the first time ever it has called on its supporters to cast votes in support of its lists. Hezbollah’s rallying efforts have appeared to pay dividends, with Baalbek residents expecting the party’s candidates to secure the city’s municipal council. “We know we don’t have a chance to win, but at least we were able to tell people that we do not agree with the power dynamics in our towns,” one Hezbollah supporter told NOW’s correspondent in the Bekaa. “Some people here are against the traditional political parties.”

Hariri: Absence of Hizbullah from 'Beirutis' Municipal List an Asset for Capital
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri said on Sunday that the absence of Hizbullah candidates from the Beirutis List which he backs for the municipal elections is “an asset for the capital Beirut.”After casting his ballot at a polling station in Verdun, Hariri answered a question on how he would explain the absence of Hizbullah candidates from the list that he backs, he said: “it is an asset for Beirut.”Hariri backs the Beirutis List which is also supported by several of the country's major political parties including the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, Kataeb and the Amal movement of Speaker Nabih Berri. “I hope that the municipal elections pave way to hold the parliamentary elections,” he added. “The municipal elections are perfectly political and developmental,” he concluded. Shortly after Hariri cast his ballot, it was reported that his vote in the mayoral elections was cancelled after he mistakenly placed the envelope in the ballot box specified for the municipal candidates.

Brawls, Vote Buying Claims in Tense Zahle as Hizbullah Backs Candidates from 3 Lists
Naharnet/May 08/16/Three candidate lists in the eastern town of Zahle were competing on Sunday to win the municipal elections race which started early morning, in a heated battle that has witnessed fistfights and vote buying allegations. The brother of Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush, Moussa, heads a candidate list named “Zahle is Worthy”. Another list is backed by Popular Bloc leader Myriam Skaff, the widow of late Zahle politician Elie Skaff. Her list was named “Zahle the Integrity.”Former Zahle Mayor Asaad Zogheib is meanwhile leading an alliance backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party. Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem announced early on Sunday that the party will distribute its votes among the FPM and the lists backed by Skaff and Fattoush. The Skaff-backed list is meanwhile expected to receive support from al-Mustaqbal movement. On the ground, the electoral process was marred by several incidents. According to media reports, supporters of Skaff and Fattoush brawled in Zahle's Mar Elias neighborhood as the Hawsh al-Omara area witnessed a clash between LF and Popular Bloc supporters, which prompted the army to intervene. Security forces meanwhile raided apartments in Hawsh al-Omara after claims that the lists backed by Skaff and Fattoush were buying votes there. Later on Sunday, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced that security forces did not find evidence of any vote buying operations during their raids in the city.

Jumblat in Sarcastic Remark after Hariri Casts Ballot in Wrong Box
Naharnet/May 08/16/Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat took to Twitter on Sunday to post a sarcastic comment after al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri mistakenly cast a municipal polls ballot in a ballot box for the mayoral elections. “Even Sheikh Saad is not convinced of the Beirutis List,” Jumblat tweeted, although the PSP has a candidate on the list. Jumblat, however, deleted his tweet minutes after writing it. Earlier in the day, the head of the Shakib Arslan School polling station in Beirut's Verdun announced that Hariri's vote will not be counted after he “cast a municipal polls ballot in a box dedicated to the mayoral elections.” The PSP's candidate on the Beirutis List is Issam al-Ghawi. In addition to Mustaqbal and the PSP, the list is backed by several other parties that are represented in the government and parliament, such as the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb Party and the AMAL Movement. Beirutis' main competitors are a secular group named Members of Citizens Within a State of which ex-Labor Minister Charbel Nahas is a member and the Beirut Madinati coalition -- a civic campaign of 24 candidates, equally split between men and women, and Muslims and Christians.

Kaag Hails Municipal Elections, Urges End to Presidential Vacuum
Naharnet/May 08/16/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag toured the polling stations in the Bir Hassan area and hailed the municipal election process which comes amid a presidential vacuum and inability of politicians to elect a Lebanese president. “The municipal elections is a very important step and a democracy is only viable when people cast the ballots and vote,” said Kaag. She stressed the necessity to hold the stalled presidential elections. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of president Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts among the rival March 8 and March 14 alliances have thwarted attempts aiming at electing a successor.

Mashnouq: Lebanese Proved that They Deserve Freedom and Democracy
Naharnet/May 08/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced Sunday that “the Lebanese proved that they deserve freedom and democracy," after polls closed in the first round of Lebanon's municipal and mayoral elections that were held Sunday in Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley -- the first vote of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010. "The elections were held in a largely peaceful atmosphere," Mashnouq said at a press conference, adding that the ministry received 650 complaints, which included four shooting incidents and 20 minor security incidents. “The Lebanese proved that they deserve freedom and democracy and that they are ready for the upcoming junctures,” he added. Mashnouq noted that “the most beautiful polling station" he visited on Sunday was in the northeastern border town of Arsal, whose residents “face several accusations.”“They expressed their joy in the presence of the State,” he said. Separately, Mashnouq said “one person was arrested on charges of vote buying in Zahle” and that “authorities are following up on a list of individuals suspected of paying electoral bribes in some areas." "Voter turnout was low in Beirut but higher than that recorded in 2010," he said.
The Interior Ministry later announced that voter turnout was 20.14% in Beirut and 49.02% in the Bekaa. Earlier on Sunday, Mashnouq said that the electoral process was "going well" and voiced hope that the elections would pave way for the election of a president. “The voting process is going smoothly in Beirut and Bekaa. Today is one step forward but the real ceremony is when a president is elected,” said Mashnouq after touring some polling stations in the capital. He urged for a good turnout and voiced calls on the citizens to vote in favor of the list they believe in. The four-stage municipal elections started in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on May 8, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.

Mashnouq: Municipal Elections Going Well, Priority is to Elect President
Naharnet/May 08/16/Interior Minister al-Mashnouq said on Sunday that the municipal elections process is going well in Beirut and the Bekaa governorate but voiced hopes that these elections would pave way for the election of a president. “The voting process is going smooth in Beirut and Bekaa. Today is one step forward but the real ceremony is when a president is elected,” said Mashnouq after touring some polling stations in the capital. He urged for a good turnout and voiced calls on the citizens to vote in favor of the list they believe in. The four-stage municipal elections started in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on May 8, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.

Salam Says Municipal Elections a 'National Moment to Say our Word'
Naharnet/May 08/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed on Sunday that Lebanon is facing a national moment embodied in the democratic municipal election process that will allow the people of Beirut to say their word and vote in favor of their city and country. Salam's comments came after he cast his ballot at a polling station in Aicha Bakkar, he said: “I am biased to Beirut, to the people of Beirut and to my nation.” “On this day we affirm the existence of the state and its role in embracing all of her sons. The municipal elections is a popular demand and is at the heart of our democracy which we pray is reflected on other entitlements mainly the election n of a president,” added the PM. He concluded saying: “I am biased to Beirut, to the people of Beirut and to my nation.”The four-stage municipal elections started in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on May 8, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.

Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel: Today's election gives hope of power rotation
Sun 08 May 2016/NNA - Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel wished on Sunday that presidential elections would be held first, then followed by parliamentary elections in 2017, adding that today's election gave us hope for the return of power rotation in Lebanon. His words came in an interview with National News Agency Director, Laure Sleiman, on Radio Lebanon. "Today's election proved to us that after six years, we witnessed a democratic electoral process, but we should also note that there was lack in participation and this is due to people's disappointment, people who are convinced that democracy and election will change nothing, and this makes parties reconsider their role," he added. Regarding politics' interventions in municipal work, the MP explained that in the capital, these two were connected. "It is impossible to carry out projects in Beirut without returning to the government policy," he said, stressing that when it comes to mukhtars, it is their services that count. Finally, questioned about the violations detected by the Lebanese Association for the Democracy of Elections (LADE), Gemayel pointed out that the law prohibits any political statement made during the polls.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 09/16
Iranian Resistance calls for immediate care for sick political prisoners and their unconditional release
National Council of Resistance of Iran/Sunday, 08 May 2016/The Iranian Resistance calls on international human rights defenders, particularly the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, to take immediate and effective measures to secure the unconditional release of sick political prisoners and to provide them with immediate and essential medical care. It also calls for the formation of an international delegation to investigate the dreadful conditions of the regime’s prisons in Iran.
Depriving prisoners of access to medical services is aimed at breaking their will or tormenting them to death and is a clear case of a crime against humanity. This antihuman method has endangered the lives of a large number of prisoners or risks delivering irreparable harm to them.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh, 26, is a political prisoner suffering from colon cancer, but the henchmen obstruct his transfer to the hospital. He has become very feeble due to internal bleeding and has lost 40 kilograms while also suffering from respitory problems. He was arrested seven years ago and condemned to 25 years in prison and transferred to exile to Miandoab Prison which has very harsh conditions. In the morning of May 7, the Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) intelligence in Kermanshah apprehended his brother Kaveh Sohrabzadeh because he had disseminated information on his sick brother and had attempted to improve Afshin’s health.
Omid Kokabee, 34-year-old nuclear physicist, is suffering from cancer tumor of the kidney for a long time. Due to intentional hampering in his treatment he had to undergo surgery in recent weeks where his right kidney was removed. The henchmen even enchained him to his bed in the hospital. He is a post-doctorate student in nuclear physics and was arrested five years ago because he refused to cooperate with the regime in its bomb-making project. After undergoing many physical and psychological tortures, he was condemned to 10 years in prison on the absurd charge of “having links to a hostile government and illegitimate earnings.”
Alireza Golipour, 30, is deprived of medical care despite suffering from lung cancer and severe and continuous bleeding of the nose. As a student in communications and a staff of the intelligence ministry, he was arrested in the 2009 uprising. He was once again arrested in October 2012 and after many months of torture and solitary incarceration was transferred to the ward of ordinary prisoners in Evin Prison where he was harassed by regime’s mafia-like gangs in the prison. Meanwhile, his family is also constantly threatened.
Ali Moezzi, 66, suffers from bladder carcinoma, and prostate and renal problems. The henchmen not only prevent him from undergoing surgery, but despite the fact that his sentence was over got him condemned to an extra year in prison through fabrication of charges against him. As one of the political prisoners of the 1980s, he has been imprisoned again for visiting his children in Camp Ashraf.
Zeinab Jalalian, 44, a Kurdish political prisoner, is suffering from eye disease and is about to lose her eyesight. She is also ailing of acute duodenum disease. The henchmen have conditioned her dispatch to a hospital to holding hostage a young member of her family. She was arrested in March 2008 on the mullah-fabricated charge of Moharebeh and received a life sentence.
Abdolfattah Soltani, 63-year-old lawyer, suffers of cardio, disc prolapse in the back and neck, unstable blood pressure, and acute digestive problems and recently has unusually lost weight. Mr. Soltani was arrested in June 2009 and condemned to 10 years in prison on the charge of “propaganda activity against the system.” Among his charges are defending the rights of imprisoned workers, students and journalists.
Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam, 73, is suffering from numerous diseases including vasoconstriction, cardiac disease, knee arthritis, and disc prolapse due to the harsh prison conditions and old age. He was arrested on December 27, 2009, along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law for having contacts with the PMOI/MEK and sentenced to death.
Massoud Arab Choubdar went unconscious in Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison due to a severe drop in his blood pressure. His right hand is also badly injured due to torture. On April 28, torturers that work in the prison under the pretext of physicians expelled him from the prison infirmary and returned him to the ward. He is staging a hunger strike in protest to being transferred to the ordinary criminals’ ward. He was arrested in 2013 and is serving a three year sentence.
Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi suffers from cardiac, lung and renal diseases, diabetes, asthma, Parkinson and poor eyesight. In a sham trial in October 2006 he was condemned to 11 years in prison. On April 7, 2016, he was suspiciously poisoned and ever since he has severe pains in the lower limbs and drastic deterioration of the eyesight.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/May 7, 2016

Iran regime admits high casualties in Aleppo battle
Sunday, 08 May 2016/National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - The Iranian regime's forces in Syria suffered heavy blows from Syrian opposition fighters over the weekend in the battles in southern Aleppo.State media in Iran confirmed at least 13 deaths among the Iranian regime's forces, but the real number of those killed is believed to be much higher. Those killed include members of the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and their non-Iranian mercenary militias. A number of the Iranian regime's forces were also taken as captives by the Syrian opposition forces.
The battles were centered around the strategic town of Khan Tuman, south of Aleppo, which the Iranian regime had sought to capture as part of its plan to besiege Aleppo. Tehran’s forces were repulsed from the area. Pictures of the Iranian regime's casualties have been widely circulated in social media.
In a rare move, the IRGC's branch in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran, issued a statement on Saturday, acknowledging a number of the IRGC forces killed in Aleppo were dispatched from the province. The statement, that reflected the regime's anxiety, asked the people of the province to keep calm and not pay attention to what they see or hear from non-governmental sources including social media. The IRGC described the distribution of the pictures of the regime's casualties as "psychological warfare against those who defend the sacred shrine," Tehran's jargon for deployment of its forces to Syria to defend the Assad regime as he massacres the people of Syria. This is while Aleppo is almost 300 kilometers away from the holy Shiite shrines near Damascus. Meanwhile in a sign of the significance of Bashar al-Assad’s survival for the clerical regime, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on Saturday in Damascus reiterated that Assad’s remaining in power is a “red line” for Tehran. Last week, a senior negotiator for Syria’s democratic opposition spoke out against the crimes of the Syrian and Iranian regimes against the people of Aleppo. The Syrian revolution’s forces and the Iranian Resistance stand united in the face of the dictatorships in Damascus and Tehran, George Sabra of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) told the Iranian opposition satellite television channel Simaye Azadi (INTV) on Wednesday. Mr. Sabra expressed his appreciation to the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi for her position on the crisis in Aleppo and for denouncing the criminal dictators Bashar al-Assad and Ali Khamenei. “We believe that the Iranian Resistance is on our side with all sincerity, and we honor our joint measures against dictators to help the people of Syria and to end the crisis that has been created by the mullahs’ regime. In fact, the Tehran regime supports Assad's dictatorship to pursue their goals. Therefore, our battle is a joint battle,” he said. "I can assure you that the people of Aleppo are resilient and they will not surrender. By God's will and help, the victory is near. Not only will this victory bring wellbeing and comfort to the people of Syria but it will also bring tranquility to the entire region. It will mean that the people will rule their countries based on their own interests and desires, and they will not be ruled by the mullahs in Tehran or the security forces of Assad in Syria or the sectarian militias in Lebanon or Yemen," he added.

Iran regime officials fear popularity of social media
Sunday, 08 May 2016/National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI – Two officials of the Iranian regime in an appearance on state television last week made plain their fear of the internet and the popularity of social media among young Iranians. Reza Taqipour, a member of the regime's Supreme Council of Cyberspace, acknowledged the vast presence of young Iranians on social networks, especially on Telegram. "Different figures are presented and estimated for Telegram which currently has the highest number of users [in Iran]. According to official statistics it has 25 million users. I have heard recently that an unofficial source estimated this figure to be 40 million users [in Iran], while this social network has only 100 million users in the world," Taqipour said. Ali Fallah, another member of the council, expressed concern about the popularity of the internet and social media among Iran’s youths. “The nights and days spent in cyberspace distance us from the world and they distance us from other people as well. People open their gates and they can go in any direction that they wish. The lack of discipline in cyberspace is a concern to people. Now the moral status, norms and privacy has become very disordered," Fallah said. While acknowledging that the regime's policy of filtering networks has been ineffective, he said: "Personally, I have explained this issue many times; filtering can only solve five percent of the problem."In order to whitewash the regime’s website filters, he added: "All countries have smart filtering systems in order to remove inappropriate contents. We must apply this system to our networks."

Eight Police Killed near Cairo in Attack Claimed by IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/Eight policemen were shot dead on Cairo's southern outskirts in an attack claimed Sunday by the Islamic State group, one of its deadliest in mainland Egypt. The interior ministry said four assailants in a truck intercepted a van carrying the policemen in the district of Helwan, just south of Cairo, and sprayed them with automatic rifle fire. It said those killed in the shooting overnight included a lieutenant and seven lower ranking policemen who had been on patrol in plain clothing.In a statement circulated on social media, IS said "a squad of the soldiers of the caliphate" opened fire on the police van and then made off with their weapons. It said the attack was carried out in retaliation for "women imprisoned" in Egyptian jails. Jihadists have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in attacks, mostly in the Sinai Peninsula and also in and around Cairo, since the military toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Militants had carried out a previous attack in Helwan, killing a policeman standing guard outside a museum in June 2015. IS jihadists, who are based in the sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, have repeatedly tried to make inroads into the capital, where police have had more success in quelling them than in Sinai. They have claimed several attacks in Cairo, including the bombing of the Italian consulate in July 2015. More recently militants have conducted hit-and-run attacks on policemen in Cairo and small scale bombings.They often claim their attacks are in retaliation for a bloody police crackdown on Islamist supporters of Morsi, which has killed hundreds of protesters and imprisoned thousands. They have also targeted foreigners. - Retaliation -In October, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from a south Sinai resort, killing all 224 people on board. The group said it smuggled explosives concealed in a soda can on to the plane at Sharm El-Sheikh, a popular Red Sea resort in south Sinai. That attack prompted Russia to suspend all flights to Egypt, and has lost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenues. The bombing came two months after IS militants abducted a Croatian oil worker near Cairo and beheaded him. Police later tracked down the top IS operative in Cairo, who was linked to the Croat's murder, and killed him in a shootout.
But efforts to crush the insurgency in Sinai have floundered despite a massive army campaign. In March, Islamic State gunmen killed 15 policemen at a checkpoint near El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai. The Islamic State group declared a "caliphate" nearly two years ago in areas under its control in Iraq and Syria. The Sinai branch pledged allegiance to IS in November 2014, and since then its attacks have grown more sophisticated. The military says it has killed more than 1,000 militants, occasionally publishing pictures of their bodies. The statements are difficult to verify, with reporters having little access to the north of the peninsula. Hundreds of multi-national forces soldiers are based in Sinai to monitor a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, and Washington has indicated it would cut its troops over the jihadist threat. The Pentagon said last month it remained "fully committed" to the mission but wants to use drones to assume some of the riskier work.

Turkish Army Kills 55 IS Members in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/Turkish forces launched a salvo of artillery strikes on northern Syria that killed 55 members of the Islamic State group, Turkish news agencies reported on Sunday. Artillery units stationed near the border struck IS group targets near Aleppo on Saturday evening, destroying three missile launchers and three vehicles according to the state-run Anatolia news agency and the Dogan news service. The reports could not immediately be independently verified. Since the start of the year, the Turkish border town of Kilis has come under frequent attack from rockets fired across the border from Syria that have killed at least 21 people, prompting the army to respond with howitzer fire. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this week that Turkey is ready to send troops into Syria "if necessary". Turkey has previously discussed a land invasion but ruled out intervening alone. Turkey, which has been hit by attacks blamed on jihadists including two deadly suicide bombings in Istanbul that targeted foreign tourists, began to carry out air strikes against the IS group in Syria last summer. Ankara also allows U.S. jets to use its air base in southern Turkey for air strikes on the extremist group in Syria.

Israeli ex-President Katsav, Jailed for Rape, Seeks Pardon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/Israeli ex-president Moshe Katsav, in prison for rape and other sexual offenses, has asked the current head of state for a pardon, President Reuven Rivlin's office said on Sunday. "A request for pardon arrived at the president's office today," it said in a brief statement. "As is the custom with every request for a pardon it has been passed for handling to the presidential legal department," the statement added. Katsav, the first Israeli head of state to be sent to prison, was jailed in 2011 for seven years on two counts of rape as well as sexual harassment, indecent acts and obstruction of justice. A parole board last month turned down his application for early release, saying that Katsav, 70, "expressed no regret and no sympathy toward the victims of his crimes". "The prisoner has presented himself as a victim and has continually attributed responsibility for his situation to others," the justice ministry said in a statement following the decision. Katsav's 18-month trial included harrowing accusations and portrayed him as a sexual predator who routinely harassed his female staff. The offenses committed against his employees were said to have occurred when he served as tourism minister and later as president. Katsav became president in 2000, resigning over the allegations in 2007. He was replaced in the largely ceremonial post by Nobel Peace laureate Shimon Peres. Rivlin was elected to the position in June 2014 for a statutory seven-year term.

Netanyahu Vows to Press Hunt for Gaza Tunnels
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday Israel will not be deterred in its bid to destroy Hamas' tunnels after the worst flare-up of violence with Gaza's Islamist rulers in two years. "Israel will continue to act as necessary to detect and prevent the threat of tunnels in the south," he told reporters at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "We are not seeking escalation, but will not be deterred from doing what it required to maintain security," he said. The frontier was reported to be quiet on Sunday morning after four days of border duels -- the heaviest exchanges of fire between the two sides since the 2014 Gaza war that killed 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis. Israeli warplanes hit two Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday in response to Palestinian rocket fire, but neither the strikes nor the rockets caused casualties. Since Wednesday, Hamas and other militant groups have fired at least 12 mortar rounds at Israeli forces searching along the border, and short distances inside Gaza, for attack tunnels leading into Israel. Israeli tank fire killed a Palestinian woman when it hit her home east of Khan Yunis on Thursday. Hamas's Gaza leader, Ismail Haniya, said on Friday that the group was "not calling for a new war", but would not accept Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory. The exchanges have raised concerns for the future of an informal truce that has held since the 2014 conflict ended.

Afghan Road Crash Inferno Leaves at Least 73 Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/At least 73 people were killed Sunday when two passenger buses and an oil tanker burst into flames in a head-on collision in eastern Afghanistan, health officials said, in one of the worst road accidents in the war-battered nation.Many of the dead, including women and children, were burned beyond recognition and dozens of others were left badly injured in the accident in Ghazni province, near the Afghan capital, one of the areas worst affected by the Taliban insurgency. The vehicles were completely gutted and clouds of acrid smoke shrouded the scene of the crash on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, a major roadway linking Afghanistan's two largest cities. "The death toll has soared to 73," ministry spokesman Ismail Kawoosi told AFP, warning that the toll was expected to rise still further. "Most of them are completely burned." Kawoosi gave a sharply higher toll than other officials. Ghazni's Governor Mohammad Aman Hamimi earlier reported seven fatalities but his own spokesman gave a death toll of 50. Bloodied, dazed and badly burned, many of the survivors streamed into Ghazni's main provincial hospital, while many others were rushed in ambulances to health facilities in southern Kandahar city. The Kabul-Kandahar highway passes through militancy prone areas and many bus drivers are known to drive recklessly at top speeds so as not to get caught in insurgent activity. "Our driver was at fault -- he was driving too rashly," said Esmatullah, one of the few lucky passengers who survived Sunday's crash with minor injuries. "Most bus drivers on the highways are known to smoke hashish, opium and other drugs. They are completely out of control."Afghanistan has some of the world's most dangerous roads, often in dilapidated condition and traffic rules are seldom enforced. Many in the country rely on old and rickety passenger vehicles, meaning that high casualty road traffic accidents are common. At least 18 people were killed in May last year when a minivan overturned in the western province of Badghis. And in April 2013 a bus hit a wrecked fuel tanker in the southern province of Kandahar, killing 45 people. The World Bank in November signed off a $250 million grant to upgrade roads crossing Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains, crucial trade links that are often closed in winter by snow. Insecurity is growing around Afghanistan as the Taliban press on with their 15-year insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul government. The Islamists, who have been waging an insurgency since being toppled from power in 2001, announced the start of their spring offensive on April 12, dubbed "Operation Omari" in honor of founding leader Mullah Omar, vowing large-scale attacks across Afghanistan.

Spain Awaits Return of Three Journalists Kidnapped in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/Three Spanish freelance journalists kidnapped in Syria some 10 months ago were due to fly back to be reunited with their families on Sunday, a day after their release. The trio -- Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre -- were last seen in July 2015 in the northwestern city of Aleppo where they had been reporting on fighting. They had been working for various Spanish media around the time of their disappearance. The government and the Spanish Press Federation announced the release of the three men late on Saturday, saying they were in well and in Turkey, waiting for their flight back to Spain. They are expected to arrive at the Torrejon air base near Madrid although government officials refused to reveal a specific arrival time. Pampliega's mother Maria del Mar Rodriguez Vega said she planned to cook her son's favourite dish -- spinach with bechamel. "It was wonderful when I spoke to him by telephone," she said in a statement released by the Spanish wing of the international media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders, which is also known by its French acronym RSF. "He had the same voice as always, from when he was a child, he repeatedly asked me to forgive me for what he made me go through," she added.
The release of the three journalists had been "possible thanks to the collaboration of allies and friends especially in the final phase from Turkey and Qatar", the government said in a statement.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, the three reporters were last seen in a rebel-held area of Aleppo on July 13, 2015, when they were travelling in a van together before being taken by armed men. Some Spanish media, including top-selling daily newspaper El Pais, said the three were held by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front. After they disappeared, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said officials were working with members of Spain's National Intelligence Centre who were in Syria to try and secure their release. - 'Most dangerous' country -The three freed Spaniards are all experienced conflict zone reporters. Pampliega, a freelance war correspondent born in 1982, contributed to Agence France Presse's text coverage of the civil war in Syria for a period up to 2013. A passionate reporter who tended to focus on human interest stories, he also contributed to AFP's coverage in Iraq. Lopez, born in 1971, is a prize-winning photographer who contributed images to AFP from several war zones, including from the Syrian conflict up until 2013 and Iraq in 2014. Sastre, 35, has worked in trouble spots around the world, including Syria, for Spanish television, radio and press. Elsa Gonzalez, the president of the Spanish Press Federation (FAPE), spoke of her "joy" over the freeing of the journalists. "Fortunately it all ended well. It lasted longer than we wanted but it appears that they are all in very good health," she told AFP. RSF in 2015 ranked Syria as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists along with Iraq. It says 10 journalists died in 2015 in Syria, where various armed factions are battling President Bashar Al-Assad's regime and each other. The release of the three follows the freeing in 2013 of three other Spanish journalists. El Mundo correspondent Javier Espinosa, freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova and Marc Marginedas of El Periodico newspaper were all released after being seized by the Islamic State group. In August 2014, the Islamic State group decapitated U.S. journalist James Foley, who was seized in northern Syria in 2012. The following month, the group murdered fellow U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff.

French President Hollande Leads WWII Commemorations in Paris
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/16/French President Francois Hollande on Sunday led commemorations in Paris marking the end of World War II in Europe. Under a basking sun, Hollande began the proceedings by laying a wreath at the statue of Charles de Gaulle, the former president and leader of the French WWII government-in-exile. Hollande observed a minute of silence before a rendition of the French national anthem. He then shook hands and chatted with General De Gaulle's grandson, Yves. A cortege followed Hollande up to the Place de l'Etoile, where he laid another wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.Victory in Europe Day is celebrated on May 8 to mark the date in 1945 that WWII ended in Europe following Nazi Germany's surrender of its armed forces.

Residents return as truce extended in Syria’s Aleppo
AFP, Aleppo Sunday, 8 May 2016/Displaced families returned home and schools reopened in rebel-held districts of Syria’s Aleppo on Saturday after a truce was extended for 72 hours in the battleground northern city. More than 300 civilians were killed in two weeks of fighting in the divided city before the truce took hold on Thursday, with regime air strikes on the opposition-held east and rebel shelling of its regime-controlled west. Residents trickled back into eastern areas of Aleppo, encouraged by a halt in the deadly violence, an AFP reporter said. “I decided to come home after relatives told me it was calm,” father-of-six Abu Mohammed said. “We left because it was carnage here. The air strikes were incredible,” said the resident of the rebel-held Kalasseh district. Syrian opposition: Crisis is not only Aleppo. The international community hopes that a drop in fighting can revive faltering peace talks to end a five-year war that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions. Schools in Aleppo’s east reopened on Saturday after staying closed for more than two weeks. “There were many bombings so our parents got scared and stopped sending us to school,” one schoolboy told AFP. A monitor reported rebel shelling of areas in western Aleppo but said there were no casualties. Russia’s defense ministry said the truce had been extended “in order to prevent the situation from worsening” just minutes before an initial 48-hour truce was due to expire. “The regime of silence in the province of Latakia and in the city of Aleppo has been extended from 00:01 (local time) on May 7 (2101 GMT Friday) for 72 hours,” a ministry statement said.

ISIS uses 2,000 families in Iraq’s Fallujah as ‘human shields’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 8 May 2016/ISIS in Iraq has trapped around 2,000 families in two villages south of a city in the western province of Anbar, and is using them as human shields, local media reported the head of a police department as saying on Saturday. “The terrorist organization ISIS has trapped around 2,000 families, most of the people are women, children and elderly in Albu Hawa and Hasi in the northern al-Amiriya district south of Fallujah,” Lieutenant Colonel Arif al-Janabi, the head of the police district, told the local Anbar News outlet. ISIS also arrested dozens of young men from the two villages, Janabi added. “ISIS is using people of the two villages as human shields and not allowing them to leave,” Janabi added, describing “the security forces and tribal fighters” as being “ready to liberate these two villages and break the siege.”The city of Fallujah was seized by ISIS in January 2014. With an estimated population of 90,000, it is the militant group’s stronghold in Sunni-dominated Anbar. Last month, the Iraqi government approved aid to be delivered to people in Fallujah after a long siege.

Yemeni peace talks postponed indefinitely
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 8 May 2016/Yemeni peace talks have been postponed indefinitely after representatives of the Houthi militias failed to attend a meeting on Sunday, sources told Al Arabiya News Channel. This took place after the UN special envoy to Yemen held talks Sunday with the country’s warring parties in a bid to break an impasse, a day after the government pulled out of direct negotiations. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed held separate morning talks in Kuwait City with delegates, and plenary or committees’ meetings were planned in the afternoon, spokesman for the UN envoy Charbel Raji said. Yemen’s government on Saturday pulled out of direct negotiations with the Houthis after there were no signs of any progress. A source close to the government delegation said the talks had reached a delicate stage after “the rebels backtracked to the starting point.” “That has complicated the situation” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity. The Houthis and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014. They have also demanded the withdrawal of a small US force operating in the south of the country against Al-Qaeda militants. On Thursday, Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the foes had begun discussing major political and security issues in face-to-face negotiations aimed at bringing an end to 13 months of devastating war. The working groups exchanged views on resolving political and security issues and the release of prisoners and detainees, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. This orders the rebels to withdraw from territory they have taken since 2014 and to surrender heavy weaponry they had seized. There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year. (With AFP)

U.N. Envoy Bids to Break Yemen Peace Talks Impasse
The U.N. special envoy to Yemen held talks Sunday with the country's warring parties in a bid to break an impasse, a day after the government pulled out of direct negotiations. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed held separate morning talks in Kuwait City with delegates, and plenary or committees' meetings were planned in the afternoon, spokesman for the U.N. envoy Charbel Raji said. Yemen's government on Saturday pulled out of direct negotiations with representatives of the Huthi rebels after there were no signs of any progress. A source close to the government delegation said the talks had reached a delicate stage after "the rebels backtracked to the starting point.""That has complicated the situation," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity. The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014. The rebels have also demanded the withdrawal of a small U.S. force operating in the south of the country against al-Qaida militants. On Thursday, Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the foes had begun discussing major political and security issues in face-to-face negotiations aimed at bringing an end to 13 months of devastating war. The working groups exchanged views on resolving political and security issues and the release of prisoners and detainees, in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216. This orders the rebels to withdraw from territory they have taken since 2014 and to surrender heavy weaponry they had seized. There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 09/16
Meet the First Muslim Mayor of London
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/May 08/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8011/sadiq-khan
Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith accused Khan of giving "platform, oxygen and cover" to Islamic extremists. He also accused Khan of "hiding behind Britain's Muslims" by branding as "Islamophobes" those who shed light on his past.
"The questions are genuine, they are serious. They are about his willingness to share platforms with people who want to 'drown every Israeli Jew in the sea.' It's about his having employed someone who believed the Lee Rigby murder was fabricated. It's about his career before being an MP, coaching people in how to sue the police." — Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith.
In 2008, Khan gave a speech at the Global Peace and Unity Conference, an event organized by the Islam Channel, which has been censured repeatedly by British media regulators for extremism. Members of the audience were filmed flying the black flag of jihad while Khan was speaking.
"I regret giving the impression I subscribed to their views and I've been quite clear I find their views abhorrent." — Sadiq Khan.
"A Muslim man with way too many extremist links to be entirely coincidental is now the Mayor of London. I suppose this is hardly a shock, though. The native English are a demographic minority (and a rapidly dwindling one) in London, whilst Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh are a rapidly expanding demographic." — British politician Paul Weston.
Labour Party politician Sadiq Khan has been sworn in as mayor of London. He is the first Muslim to lead a major European city.
Khan, 45, is the London-born son of Pakistani immigrants. His father was a bus driver and he grew up with seven siblings in a government-subsidized apartment. He studied law, became a university professor and served as chairman of the civil liberties pressure group Liberty. He was elected to Parliament in 2005. Khan's supporters say he is the epitome the Muslim immigrant success story.
Khan has promised to be "the British Muslim who takes the fight to the extremists." Others are not so sure. During the election campaign, Khan faced a steady stream of allegations about his past dealings with Muslim extremists and anti-Semites.
Khan's opponent, Conservative Party politician Zac Goldsmith, drew attention to Khan's past career as a human rights lawyer that included repeated public appearances alongside radical Muslims.
Goldsmith accused Khan of giving "platform, oxygen and cover" to Islamic extremists. He also accused Khan of "hiding behind Britain's Muslims" by branding as "Islamophobes" those who shed light on his past.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard, Goldsmith said:
"To be clear, I have never suggested he [Khan] is an extremist but without a shadow of doubt he has given platform, oxygen and cover to people who are extremists.
"I think he is playing with fire. The questions are genuine, they are serious. They are about his willingness to share platforms with people who want to 'drown every Israeli Jew in the sea.'
"It's about his having employed someone who believed the Lee Rigby murder was fabricated. It's about his career before being an MP, coaching people in how to sue the police.
"It just goes on and on and on. To pretend those are not legitimate questions, to pretend that by asking those questions newspapers, Londoners or my campaign are engaging in Islamophobia is unbelievably irresponsible.
"It is just obscene that somebody who wants to be the mayor of the world's greatest city, to be in charge of our police and security, should behave not only with such bad judgment but in a way that is totally shameless."
Goldsmith also drew attention to Khan's ties with Suliman Gani, a Muslim cleric in Tooting, the constituency in South London where Khan is an MP. "To share a platform nine times with Suliman Gani, one of the most repellent figures in this country, you don't do it by accident," Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith was referring to a Sunday Times exposé, which revealed that between 2004 and 2013, Khan had spoken alongside Gani on at least nine occasions, "even though Gani has called women 'subservient' to men and condemned homosexuality, gay marriage, and even organ transplants."
Gani — who has ties to the extremist Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, and has rallied in support of Shaker Aamer, an al-Qaeda terrorist who was detained at Guantanamo Bay — is also linked to the London-based Tayyibun Institute, which the British government says "tolerates or promotes non-violent extremism."
According to the Times, on the night of the Paris attacks in November 2015, Gani appeared at an "Islamic question time" event in Bedford, where speakers reportedly told British Muslims to "struggle" for an "Islamic state."
Khan and Gani first shared a platform in August 2004 at an event organized by Stop Political Terror, a group supported by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American imam who was killed in 2011 by a CIA-led drone strike in Yemen. According to the Times, Khan spoke at least four times at events organized by Stop Political Terror, which has since merged with CAGE, a group that called the Islamic State butcher Jihadi John a "beautiful young man."
In an interview with the Times, Davis Lewin, deputy director of the Henry Jackson Society, an anti-extremism think tank, said:
"Gani has campaigned on behalf of convicted terrorists, appeared at events designed to undermine government counter-radicalization strategies, including sharing platforms with a pro-terrorist organization such as CAGE, and is said to hold repugnant views about women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans community.
"Given that the UK, and London in particular, is a major target for Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks, it is intolerable to see any politician, much less one seeking such a vitally important office as mayor of London, associate with an individual such as this.
"Mr Khan's reportedly repeatedly sharing a platform with this man, whose views are widely available, is deeply alarming."
Khan also spent years campaigning to prevent Babar Ahmad from being extradited to the United States on charges of providing material support to terrorism. Ahmad, who admitted his guilt, later said that his support for the Taliban was "naïve."
In 2002, Khan represented the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan. Khan tried to reverse a decision by the Home Office, which had banned Farrakhan from entering the UK due to fears that his anti-Semitic views would stir up racial hatred. Farrakhan has called Jews "bloodsuckers" and referred to Judaism as "a gutter religion."
At the time, Khan said: "Mr. Farrakhan is not anti-Semitic and does not preach a message of racial hatred and antagonism." Khan added:
"Farrakhan is preaching a message of self-discipline, self-reliance, atonement and responsibility. He's trying to address the issues and problems we have in the UK, black on black crime and problems in the black community. It's outrageous and astonishing that the British Government is trying to exclude this man."
Khan now says: "Even the worst people deserve a legal defense."
In 2004, Khan was the chief legal advisor to the Muslim Council of Britain, a group linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Khan defended Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born Islamist who has been banned from entering the UK. Al-Qaradawi has expressed support for Hamas suicide bombings against Israel: "It's not suicide, it is martyrdom in the name of Allah." According to Khan, however, "Quotes attributed to this man may or may not be true."
Also in 2004, Khan shared a platform with a half-dozen Islamic extremists in London at a political meeting where women were told to use a separate entrance. One of the speakers was Azzam Tamimi, who has said he wants Israel destroyed and replaced with an Islamic state. Another speaker was Daud Abdullah, who has led boycotts of Holocaust Memorial Day. Yet another speaker was Ibrahim Hewitt, a Muslim hardliner who believes that adulterers should be "stoned to death."
In 2006, Khan attended a mass rally in Trafalgar Square to protest the publication of cartoons of Mohammed by Western newspapers. One of those present at the rally was Tamimi, who told Sky News: "The publication of these cartoons will cause the world to tremble. Fire will be throughout the world if they don't stop." Khan defended Tamimi: "Speakers can get carried away but they are just flowery words."
In 2008, Khan gave a speech at the Global Peace and Unity Conference, an event organized by the Islam Channel, which has been censured repeatedly by British media regulators for extremism. Members of the audience were filmed flying the black flag of jihad while Khan was speaking.
Also in 2008, Khan wrote that Turkey should be allowed to join the European Union in order to prove that the bloc is not a "Christian Club" that discriminates against Muslims:
"Muslims across Europe will see the question for Turkish admission to the EU as a clear test of European inclusion. If the door is slammed shut it will be understood by 20 million Muslim citizens of the EU that the basis of the decision to treat Turkey differently to new members like Bulgaria or Romania has been made on the basis that Europe is a 'Christian Club.'
"Some will see this as a clear indication that Muslims can never be a part of the story of Europe or the West. That will undermine everybody working to say that of course one can be British, European and Muslim, or French, European and Muslim."
In 2009, when Khan was the Minister for Community Cohesion in charge of government efforts to eradicate extremism, he gave an interview to the Iran-backed Press TV. He described moderate Muslims as "Uncle Toms," a racial slur used against blacks to imply that they are too eager to please whites.
In the same interview, Khan expressed support for boycotts of Israeli products: "You know, there's nothing wrong, and I encourage people to protest, to demonstrate, to complain, to write into newspapers and TV, to, if you want to boycott certain goods, boycott certain goods — all lawful means open in a democratic society."
In 2012, Khan addressed and praised the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), an umbrella group founded by activists from the Muslim Brotherhood. The British government has criticized FOSIS for promoting Islamic extremism.
In 2014, Khan expressed support for Baroness Warsi, who resigned from Prime Minister David Cameron's cabinet because she felt that Cameron was insufficiently critical of Israel. In an essay for the Guardian, (which has now been removed from the Guardian's website) Khan wrote:
"Warsi must be listened to when she says, 'our response to [Gaza] is becoming a basis for radicalization that could have consequences for us for years to come' [...] The government's failure to criticise Israel's incursion is not just a moral failure — it goes directly against Britain's interests in the world and risks making our citizens less safe as a result."
Commentator Anthony Posner wrote:
"Although Khan has assured Londoners that he would not use the mayoral office as 'a pulpit to pronounce on foreign affairs,' one wonders if he would really be able to remain neutral if London was once again dealing with large anti-Israel demos. On the basis of his response to Warsi's resignation, it seems unlikely that he would show restraint."
In March 2016, Khan was pressured to fire a top aide, Shueb Salar, after the Daily Mail revealed that Salar was sending misogynistic messages on social media: "Along with homophobic and sexist comments, Salar jokes about rape and murder, claims Bengali people 'smell' and said he thought the slaying of soldier Lee Rigby by extremists in 2013 may have been fabricated."
In May, a close ally of Khan, Labour politician Muhammed Butt, apologized for sharing a Facebook post which compared Israel with Islamic State.
In an election debate aired by the BBC on April 18, Khan said he had "never hidden" the fact that he had represented "some pretty unsavory characters." When asked if he regretted sharing a platform with extremists, he said: "I regret giving the impression I subscribed to their views and I've been quite clear I find their views abhorrent."
Labour MP Rob Marchant said he was worried about Khan's links to extremists, but that he should be given the benefit of the doubt:
"While this dabbling with Islamist politics may well have been more to do with a streak of ruthless populism in Khan in building political support, than a genuine meeting of minds with the Islamists, it does cast some doubt upon both his judgement and his values."
By contrast, British politician Paul Weston, who has long cautioned about the Islamization of Britain, warned that Khan's rise is a harbinger of things to come:
"The previously unthinkable has become the present reality. A Muslim man with way too many extremist links to be entirely coincidental is now the Mayor of London. I suppose this is hardly a shock, though. The native English are a demographic minority (and a rapidly dwindling one) in London, whilst Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh are a rapidly expanding demographic.....
"In a couple more decades Britain may well have its first Muslim Prime Minister, and I think we can safely assume he will be of the same ideological stock as Sadiq Khan.... Reality cannot argue with demographics, so the realistic future for Britain is Islamic."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in 2016.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Khamenei's Anti-Americanism
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/May 08/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7996/khamenei-anti-americanism
Khamenei is sending a strong signal to Washington that Iran's reintegration in global financial system does not mean that the Iranian regime will change its hostility towards the U.S. and Israel.
"The Persian Gulf is the Iranian nation's home and the Persian Gulf and a large section of the Sea of Oman belong to this powerful nation. Therefore, we should be present in the region, hold war games and display our power." – Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
In addition, Khamenei is sending a message to the Iranian people that the current process of implementing the nuclear agreement, lifting sanctions, and partial economic liberalization does not mean that Iran is going to liberalize its politics and allow freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and more political participation.
Some politicians and policy analysts argue that Iran's sanctions relief and the continuing implementation of its nuclear program would push Iran towards moderation in dealing with the United States and Israel, as well as scaling down Iran's expansionist and hegemonic ambitions. The realities on the ground suggest otherwise.
As Tehran's revenues are rising, anti-American and anti-Semitic rhetoric by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are escalating.
The Iranian regime continues to view the U.S. and Israel as their top geopolitical, strategic and ideological enemies. According to Iran's Mehr News Agency, on May 1, Khamenei welcomed the Secretary General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, and his accompanying delegation in Tehran:
"Ayatollah Khamenei reaffirmed that with this perspective in regional issues, Iran sees the United States as the main enemy with the Zionist regime standing behind it. He pointed to extensive, unprecedented sanctions of the U.S. and its followers against the Islamic establishment in recent years and dubbed the objective of them as discouraging Iran from continuing its path; 'but they failed to achieve their goals and will fail in future as well.' "
Khamenei is sending a strong signal to Washington that Iran's reintegration in the global financial system does not mean that the Iranian regime will change its hostility towards the U.S. and Israel.
In addition, Khamenei is sending a message to the Iranian people that the current process of implementing the nuclear agreement, lifting sanctions, and partial economic liberalization does not mean that Iran is going to liberalize its politics and allow freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and more political participation.
Khamenei is also making it clear that Iran is not going to fundamentally change its foreign policy objectives in the region.
Regarding Iran's role in the Gulf, Iran's Supreme Leader pointed out on May 2 that
"The Persian Gulf is the Iranian nation's home and the Persian Gulf and a large section of the Sea of Oman belong to this powerful nation. Therefore, we should be present in the region, hold war games and display our power."
When it comes to Syria, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has become more emboldened and empowered in supporting the Syrian regime financially, militarily, and in intelligence and advisory capacities. Even during the current peace talks, Iran is ramping up its presence in Syria to increase Bashar Assad's leverage in the negotiations.
In Iraq, Iran's sectarian agenda and support for Shiite militias continues to cause political instability. This week, hundreds of followers of the Iraqi Shia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, stormed into the Iraqi parliament building, demanding its speaker halt the session. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that these protests could lead to the Iraqi state's failure. After the protests, al-Sadr -- who spent several years studying in Qom (Iran's center of Islamic studies) -- travelled to Iran.
Currently, some of the powerful Iraqi Shiite militias with which Iran has close connections, and in which it is investing its resources, are: Sadr's Promised Day Brigade, the successor to the Mahdi Army; the Badr Organization, Asa'ib Ahl al Haqq (League of the Righteous) and Kata'ib Hezbollah (Battalions of Hezbollah).
In Yemen and Bahrain, Iran's support for the Houthi rebels and Shiite groups continues to fuel the sectarian conflicts there.
Khamenei has also unleashed a series of anti-U.S. and anti-Israel tweets, including:
"Lebanon's Hezbollah is strong enough not to be hurt by some pressures; today, no doubt Zionist regime is scared of Hezbollah more than past." (1 May 2016)
"Shia-Sunni clash is colonialist, US plot. Top issue is to realize 2 sides of the extensive war & one's stance to avoid being against Islam." (1 May 2016)
Iran's foreign policy is anchored in three areas: ideological principles (anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism), national interests (mainly economic gains), and nationalism.
Although Khamenei needed to emphasize Iran's national and economic interests, there is no evidence that he is giving up on the revolutionary ideological norms. Khamenei is relying on the so-called moderates -- President Hassan Rouhani and his U.S.-educated foreign minister, Javad Zarif -- to continue the process of implementing the nuclear deal in order to benefit Iran economically and ensure the regime's hold on power.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei (left), is not giving up on the revolutionary ideological norms. He is relying on the so-called moderates, such as President Hassan Rouhani (right), to continue the process of implementing the nuclear deal in order to benefit Iran economically and ensure the regime's hold on power.
Nevertheless, at the end of day, the key decision makers in Iran's political establishments are Khamenei and the senior cadre of the IRGC, who prioritize Iran's ideological and revolutionary principles. It is from them that Khamenei draws his legitimacy.
As long as the Supreme Leader is alive, one should not expect that Iran's reintegration into the global economy to move the country to the moderate end of the spectrum, or that its anti-American, anti-Semitic sentiments and fundamentals of Tehran's foreign policies will change.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian-American political scientist and Harvard University scholar, is president of the International American Council.
Follow Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The Crucifixion of Aleppo
Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
We may as well send Ambassador James Jeffrey’s advice, which was written to VP Joe Biden, to Secretary Kerry. Jeffrey wrote in May 2: “Given Obama’s inherent antipathy toward Iraq, and the chronic disorganization of administration policy elsewhere, the White House has been lucky to have Biden as the adult in the room. But as any parent knows, it’s a tough lot cleaning up after the kids”.
As Biden in the Iraq’s file, Kerry has his share of mistakes. Yet, the Secretary of State is moving in a narrow alley defined by Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes and Denis McDonough. He is trying, as hard as humanely possible, to do something with nothing in his hands. He quietly proposed a safe zone to save lives in Aleppo but was immediately hit by a public rejection from the White House. Suzan Rice is determined to hand a victory in Syria to Assad and Putin. And indeed, it will be tough to clean after the kids.
As the Washington Post told us May 2 “The United States and Russia are studying possible ways to separate rival forces in Syria, delineating potential “safe zones” for opposition fighters”. Yet, the same day White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest had this to say: “The president does not believe at this point that safe zones are a practical alternative to what currently is happening in Syria,” Earnest stated.
And indeed, the real issue is President Obama’s. The President has difficulty hiding his antipathy towards Syria, and towards Iraq, and towards the Middle East. The region was not nice to the President. It placed his administration and his own strategic views under relentless tests which exposed all the bubbles and the holes that Kerry is left to navigate through. In every twist of the road, the President had to find other culprits than himself. At times it was the Arabs or the Turks. In other occasions it was the Europeans or the Russians. Anybody but his White House. A history of ideological inclinations does not disappear in a moment without traces. Ideologies, even traces of it, proved always to have a damaging effect on strategic thinking. The way to avoid that effect is to subject such complex crisis to a vigorous debate. But the debate in the White House is between a narrow circle of ideologues.
The apathy of President Obama to the Middle East is mutual. But the painful result of this absurd disorganization of the administration’s policies in the region is shown now in the tragedy of Aleppo where hundreds of civilians die every day.
There will be no safe zone in Syria, instead, the US and Russia will establish a joint ceasefire monitoring committee in Geneva. Would that lay the foundation for joint military operations to enforce the ceasefire?
In any case, it is clear now that the place is left to the Russians to run as they please. Instead of going to Damascus, which is supposedly the side that caused the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Aleppo, the UN envoy Staffan De Mistura announced in a conference with Secretary John Kerry in Geneva May 2 that he would be heading to Russia instead.
“I’m going to Moscow, and the message will be exactly the same. I hope really that the message that we gave at the Security Council the other day, a feeling (inaudible) the U.S. and Russia and the special team that we have, which is called the International Support Group, will be reinvigorating what has been a major accomplishment”, de Mistura said.
Kerry commented briefly. “This is the moment to try to make certain that what everybody has signed up to is in fact being delivered, being lived up to, without hypocrisy and without variation. And that’s what we’re working for, and I’m hopeful that over the course of the next day or so greater clarity will be available as to exactly what progress has been made”, Kerry said.
“If Assad does not adhere to this, there will clearly be repercussions, and one of them may be the total destruction of the ceasefire and then go back to war,” Kerry told reporters a day after emergency meetings in Geneva. Yet, this brings back bad memories about the red line of President Obama. Better that Kerry avoids such promises so long as he is not backed by the White House.
Here we know that the address to talk to about the tragedy in Aleppo is the Kremlin. We also know that both De Mistura and Kerry “hope” that Russia would pressure Assad to stop his human hunting sport. But hope based on what? What is there to make any of the two believe that Russia would do anything to force its serial killer ally to abandon his blood addiction? Humanitarian reasons? With Putin? Since when?
But the blame should be placed right here: in Washington. President Obama should really be ashamed of himself and his team, some of whom were bragging just the other day about the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P). Those R2P characters have to find a place to hide. Hospitals are bombed, children are killed, and cities are leveled to ground.
But the funny part is that Damascus announced the same day when De Mistura was saying that he will be heading to Moscow that Russian air force will resume its military operations all over Syria if the ceasefire officially ends. According to Syria’s government officials, as quoted by newswires May 1 “the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the continuation of their countrywide air campaign after the conclusion of the ceasefire”. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not deny or confirm the report.
It is the same cycle repeating itself over and over again. An agreement followed by Assad breaking it, followed by Putin denying that his forces encouraged the breach, followed by the US hoping something or warning someone, then getting back to Lavrov to work a new arrangement which would soon be broken by Assad and his Iranian militias, to start over once again.
Isn’t it clear that there is something wrong in this approach? Don’t we know that Assad is a small time thug? Now, we know through an investigation conducted by Sky News Stuart Ramsey that Assad did in fact arrange with ISIL the whole episode of giving Palmyra to the terrorist group then “recapturing” it to make him appear as the savior of human heritage and to cover up for his favorable hobby of killing his own people.
Russia-Assad-Iran strategy is crystal clear: Regain control over the “meaningful Syria”-roughly the West of the country, then accept the deployment of international “peace keepers” on the separation line between the East and West of Syria. We are certain the issue of peace keepers will be raised once Aleppo, Idlib, the Rif of Hama and Hums, the Ghota and as much as possible of the areas around Damascus would be tightly under the control of Assad forces and his allies: Iranian militias and Russian.
We explained the general lines of this strategy in previous stories in Middle East Briefing along last year. The East of Syria would be left to the opposition and its backers with the mission of defeating ISIL. At the proper moment, talks would resume to reunify the country or, in other words, to combine a strong comfortable Assad in the west and his opponent in the east after using them to rid the world of the problem of ISIL. But the response of the Syrian opposition, according to their current debate on the ground, is to focus mainly on killing Russian military personnel active in Syria.
There is no credible signs that the Obama administration is opposed to the hopefully short partition scenario. But why killing civilians and bombing hospitals? Why the administration hypocrisy has to break all records at the expense of children and families?
Yes, the US can stop the massacre. Few manpads in and around Aleppo would stop Assad planes from throwing their barrel bombs. A safe zone can help. Delivering aid under protection of US Air Force is possible. Many avenues could have been explored. Instead, when civilians in Aleppo flee death to Turkey, Turkish border guards shoot them. And if they reach Turkey safe and move on to Europe, they are faced with total rejection. Where would those people go? The only road opened is the one to the other world.
Shame on all of us.

The Shadows of Baghdad’s Political fight: Tall Enough to Reach Mosul?
Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
The worst imaginable advice that may be given to US forces in Iraq is to rush the battle of Mosul. While he was in Iraq April 23, JCS General Joe Dunford hinted at pressing ahead in the battle against ISIL. “The momentum has swung and … my experience tells me once you’ve got somebody in a headlock, you don’t let them go,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The JCS pointed out that ISIL is losing resources, members, leaders and heart as the Iraqis keep achieving battlefield successes. “We want to make sure that continues. I don’t take that for granted, because we are dealing with a very adaptive and determined enemy. As soon as you become complacent and you think this is breaking our way, that’s probably the most dangerous time”, Dunford explained.
But this does not necessarily mean rushing to Mosul. The battle of Mosul, against all odds in Baghdad, should be well prepared, perhaps more than any other battle anywhere else in Iraq. It carries significant symbolism and risks. The impact of a victory in Mosul on the political theatre in the US is clear to all. But this particular battle should be based only on military calculations. It should be evaluated on its own parameters regardless of what politicians, in Washington or in Baghdad, think or want.
The questions often heard in this context usually revolve around the implications of the political fight in Baghdad in regard to the battle for Mosul. But here, we have three distinctive issues. Without separating each from the others only in thought (they are obviously interconnected in reality), it will be difficult to organize a comprehensive approach in reality.
The first issue is the political and social crisis in Iraq as manifested now in Baghdad. The second is the fight against ISIL which hopefully would culminate in its defeat in Mosul. The third is how the two mentioned issues inter-react and reflect on each other.
While each track has its tools and requires creative approaches, it is clear that to confine the fight only in the limited boundaries of defeating this ISIL militarily is not helpful in the medium range. Victory against this ISIL may end up being added beside General Petraeus battle in Anbar in a military museum and perhaps revisited in the coming battle against whatever group that would emerge after Al Qaeda in Iraq and ISIL.
ISIL is the product of the political crisis in Iraq, not its cause. While this political crisis represents a challenge to any limited concept of defeating ISIL militarily, it may be as well an opportunity to provide a stable base for a stable Iraq all the while gathering the elements required for an effective fight against ISIL.
The focus should be on Iraq’s political crisis, not as an obstacle to fighting ISIL, but on its broader impact related to this ISIL as much as to future ones. This political fight will obviously have a profound impact on the future of Iraq.
We argue that arming and training Iraq’s Sunni tribes can provide a contribution to solving to the problem of governance in Baghdad, as it will certainly guarantee defeating ISIL and preventing the emergence of similar organizations.
The corrupt Iraqi political elite may not be as dangerous as ISIL, but they do not come far beyond. The Green Zone protesters were chanting “Iran out. No to sectarianism”, and this is indeed some of the road signs to where ISIL would be uprooted and eradicated.
We are told that Abadi arranged for Sadr supporters to storm the Green Zone and the Parliament to get rid of the Maliki inspired sit-in. We are not sure of the authenticity of the claim. But the story is remarkably persisting in Baghdad at present to the extent of attributing it to the minutes of a meeting between the Iraqi President, PM, the Speaker and the leaders of the main political blocks.
Indeed, security forces around the Green Zone did nothing to stop the protesters. Abadi may have been trying to introduce another player to the ring of his political wrestling match with Maliki. But it was a step too far. Sadr supporters refused afterwards a call for Abadi’s resignation. They called instead for the formation of a non-sectarian block in the Parliament and an approval of a national unity government made of bureaucrats.
Sadr is rumored to have left to Iran following the event of storming the Parliament, but Iranian authorities denied the rumors. The pro-Maliki politicians and militias are calling for Abadi to resign so they can put one of their own in his post. Yet, storming the Parliament was not discussed among Iraq’s political leaders for what it really is: An attempt to block Abadi’s reforms.
Cleverly, the political elite turned the debate into a debate about the threat to the “prestige” of the State, as if their corruption serves this prestige. They avoided talking about the reasons of the “threat”-that is the popular protests-by talking about how it endangers the image of the state.
But what could the US do in the current political crisis? Quite a bit in fact. The US has enough leverage in Baghdad to try to influence the course of the storm. Washington has its channels with Tehran. Washington also has its channels to multiple influential political and religious figures. It has its financial and economic aid and is in good terms with quite a few of Iraqi officials, including the Prime Minister. What is missing is a concept, a plan, to try to influence the course of the crisis favorably in terms of Iraq’s future, defeating this ISIL and preventing the emergence of any new one in the future. The plan is not there because someone in the White House has the following view: “The US immediate interest is to defeat ISIL, better before the end of the year. We have to focus only on that for now”.
No opposition between, on one hand, fighting this ISIL in Mosul as soon as the elements of a successful and decisive victory are available and, on the other, focusing on the political situation in Iraq should be considered as a premises for any concept. It is merely a question of prioritizing, all the while understanding the impact of each objective on the rest.
Because the Obama administration separated the two issues, dimmed its potential active assistance to get a political solution in Iraq, and focused almost exclusively on the battle for Mosul, we have the following situation: The crisis in Baghdad may very well delay the advance towards Mosul and not be used to reorganize the Iraqi political theatre in order to reach a better level of stability in the future. In other words, the administration may not achieve its first priority because it kicked the political crisis to a far second position. The Washington Post explained this fact in a report printed April 30 by Greg Jaffe. “.. the administration’s strategy for battling the Islamic State in Iraq — was thrown into severe doubt after protesters stormed Iraq’s parliament on Saturday and a state of emergency was declared in Baghdad. The big question for White House officials is what happens if Abadi — a critical linchpin in the fight against the Islamic State — does not survive the turmoil that has swept over the Iraqi capital”, Jaffe wrote. Then the report pinpoints the problem correctly by saying: The dramatic turn of events (The turmoil in Baghdad after Biden left Iraq), some analysts said, points to the critical flaw in the Obama administration’s approach to the battle against the Islamic State, which has prioritized defeating the militant group over the much tougher task of helping Abadi repair Iraq’s corrupt and largely ineffective government.
We stand decisively and strongly by those analysts.
Parallel to trying as much as possible to influence the political wrestling in Baghdad in a planned fashion, it may be time to consider arming tribal Sunni fighters in Mosul. This should not be understood as a step towards the partition of Iraq. After all, armed Shia militias are everywhere in Iraq and the Kurds have their own Peshmerga and this is not considered a threat to the country’s unity.
Arming and training Sunni tribes does not mean the partitioning of Iraq. It means that if Baghdad wants to keep the integrity of the country it would have to charter a different course. So long as the “inclusive” base of governance in Iraq is unbalanced, the caprice and corruption of politicians will continue. The moment a national government is faced with the stark choice of preserving unity or heading to partition, Iraqi’s national sentiment would rise to force it to chart this different course. Arming and training a Sunni force does not need to go through Baghdad’s political jungle.
General Petraeus did not have to go through politicians in Baghdad to form the Anbar Sahwas. And without the tribal fighters in Sunni regions, defeating Al Qaeda was almost impossible.
Would that have an impact on Baghdad’s political crisis? Certainly, a positive one. It is hard to see how an exclusive political system could be built while only the Sunnis do not have their own Peshmerga.
If we follow the battle of Fallujah for one example, we will find a daily bombardment of the town, which looks much like Aleppo, while the population is engaged in fighting ISIL. The people of Fallujah formed a group named the Western Knights (Fursan al Gharbiah) to kill ISIL member when occasions arise. It is an amateurish indigenous group that hunts ISIL fighters at night. The direct reason was that ISIL blocked the roads to flee the town and prevented the population from leaving the daily massacre of the bombardment. The people of Fallujah are leaving every day and only their Kurd brethren receive and shelter them. Preserving the unity of Iraq should be based on the free will of all Iraqis. We have a picture where only one part of the Iraqis did not find any means to protect itself other than ISIL. Organizing and arming Sunni tribes negate the need for Sunnis to support ISIL, all the while presenting a formidable force to fight the terrorist group. A more active plan to form an effective Sunni force in Anbar to fight ISIL should not be delayed any further under any pretext (including Baghdad’s permission). Assuming that the Sunnis will separate from Iraq the moment they are armed is based on a poor understanding of the attachment of Iraqis to their nation. Ordinary Iraqis indeed want to preserve the unity of Iraq.

Iran Runoff Elections Secure Moderates Win, But How Much Will It Change Things?
Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
The runoff elections for the Iranian Majlis took place on April 29, and 68 seats, undecided in the initial round of voting—and all outside of Tehran–were decided. According to official Interior Ministry results, moderates and reformers won 37 of those seats, giving them a total, after all of the voting, of 143 seats in the 290 seat Majlis. Hard-liners won 86 seats and 61 seats were won by independents of all political stripes. Mohammed Reza Aref, the leader of the moderate-reform bloc, made clear, in statements to ISNA news agency following the announcement of the run-off outcome, that his bloc will seek alliances with as many of the 61 independents as they can recruit. They are just three votes short of an absolute parliamentary majority. “Our priority is engagement with other factions rather than confrontation.”
The turnout in the run-off contests was official put at 59 percent by the Interior Ministry, just three percent below the 62 percent turnout in February. The new Majlis will be sworn in and take office on May 20. President Hassan Rouhani is expected to use his electoral mandate to shake up his cabinet and likely appoint new ministers to head the ministries of industry, mine and trade, and youth affairs and sports. The education minister could also be replaced.
But beyond the cabinet changes, the real question, yet to be answered is: How much of a difference will the shift in the Majlis make? The first opportunity to answer that question will come when moderate bloc leader Aref seeks the post of Speaker of the Majlis, challenging the current Speaker Ali Larijani, the head of a powerful political family closely aligned with Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Next year’s presidential elections, a much more serious test of the durability of the reform-moderate bloc, will hinge on the state of the Iranian economy, and that is where the real power struggle will now play out in the coming months.
The Iranian banking system is in big trouble, with a large and growing number of smaller banks already unable to make payments on depositors’ withdrawals. 30-60,000 bank depositors are unable to access their accounts, and their anger is not just directed against the former regime and the arch conservatives. The Iranian currency has been devalued by over 400 percent in the past five years through direct government actions, and depositors are also angry at the loss of purchasing power. Meat consumption in Iran is down by 40 percent in recent years, indicating the shrinking of the country’s middle class. At the same time, a “princely” class of super-rich sons of leading clerics and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders has emerged in recent years, putting names and faces on the growing wealth gap.
President Rouhani has so far had only limited success in cracking down on the IRGC/hard-line clerics, who virtually took over the Iranian economy during the two presidential terms of Ahmadinejad. A recent big economic deal with France for major road construction investment was given to Khatam al Anbia, a construction company run by the IRGC.
Even as foreign investors were making their interests in investment known, it remained unclear whether President Rouhani could pry loose control over the major industrial, mining, energy and agricultural firms from the IRGC. During a recent visit to Tehran, South Korean President Park signed a total of 19 large economic deals. But these paper memoranda of understanding will not be worth the paper they are printed on—unless competent and corruption-free Iranian firms can partner with the foreign investors to actually deliver on the vital infrastructure needs of the country.
About the only success in the economic realm, aside from the P5+1 deal, under Rouhani, has been the forced improvement in internet and other information technology services. Poor internet and cell phone speed was understood by President Rouhani as a major obstacle to foreign direct investment and joint ventures. He succeeded in forcing an overhaul of services in a telecom monopoly run by the IRGC.
The question is whether President Rouhani will follow the path of Brazil’s Dilma or China’s Xi. And the answer is not by any means clearly in his hands to decide.
China’s President Xi Jinping has launched a long-overdue crackdown on corruption throughout the Chinese economy. Tens of thousands of party officials have been arrested and kicked out of their posts—within the state-owned enterprises (SOEs), within the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), and within the state bureaucracy. Xi’s “Rectification Campaign” has been brutal but necessary, and many leaders around the world have given him a vote of confidence as a non-nonsense leader who is willing to take on corrupt officials. In Brazil, President Dilma Rouseff has avoided the tough confrontation with corrupt officials in her government and in her party. As the result, she is now facing likely impeachment.
As noted in recent MEB analyses of the Iranian internal political situation, there is a tendency among Iranian leaders to cut deals among themselves to avoid brutal factional confrontations coming to light. It is for this reason that the recent Majlis votes were not hailed globally as a “death blow” to hard-liners from the IRGC and the Principalist Faction. It is too early to tell whether the popular revolt against the arch conservatives, expressed constructively in the form of the high voter turnout for moderate-reform slate candidates, will make a big difference.
In this context, the health of the Supreme Leader is of paramount importance, given his recurring bouts with cancer, and the yet-to-be voted post of Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the 88 person body that will select the next Supreme Leader.
The Iranian people, while anxious for reform, are in no state of mind for a general revolt against the system. Older Iranians recall the consequences of supporting the 1978-1979 Iranian Revolutions, which did not start as a theological play. And the so-called Green Revolution, following the June 2009 elections, proved to be a fiasco for reform-minded youth, who suffered brutalization at the hands of the Basij and IRGC. The newly-elected, then, President Barack Obama chose to back Khamenei and legitimize the Ahmadinejad re-election win, which was widely viewed as a fraud.
From outside Iran, there are no viable plans for “regime change”—especially from Washington, where President Obama intends to frame his legacy as president around his persistent efforts to achieve a breakthrough with Iran on nuclear weapons.

Putin, the US and the Need for a New American Strategy in the Middle East
Middle East Briefing/May 08/16
In 2012, the US National Intelligence Council wrote: “The perception of U.S. disengagement or reduced interest is likely to produce an increased chance of interstate conflict. A slipping capacity to serve as a global security provider would be a key factor contributing to instability”. While the Obama administration may not have understood this message, the consequences were soon to come from Russia in 2014 in Ukraine and in 2016 in Syria. The link between the two cases is open-ended so long as the US does not have a clear concept about an organized disengagement. Assuming that a US reduced global posture is dictated by objective imperatives, an adaptation plan should have been prepared and implemented earlier in order to reduce chances of increasing potential global strategic losses.
We see now, after some considerable damage, an attempt to conceptualize such a plan, either in the Middle East or in East Europe. Yet, the level of aggressivity of Russian moves to optimize strategic profits in this transitional period threatens to keep the US in the defensive for some time to come.
The current thinking of developing the role of NATO may reach a level of producing a key mechanism to fill the gap of a retreating America. But in Syria, for example, Putin stationed enough capabilities to keep NATO at arms’ length. In the Gulf, there are ideas debated now to create a protective barrier, but regional countries have to understand that Russia interferes when there is domestic strife and social cracks. In Ukraine, Moscow invested in the alleged feud between ethnic Russians and the rest. Syria’s civil war ultimately resulted in weakening the regional security immune system, hence giving Putin the window to make his move there. From time to time we would see President Putin getting a piece here and a piece there to return to Moscow what he perceives as hers. The immediate period after the collapse of the Soviet Union is perceived in the Kremlin with particular bitterness. It is thought of as a period when Russia was robbed and denied and humiliated in all domains of its strategic interests.
Signed treaties did not prevent Putin from going to Ukraine. Signed ceasefire did not stop him from aiding his mad Syrian President to break it systematically. The current alliance with Iran is a result of, and an enhancer of, more Russian strategic expansion in Central Asia and the Middle East. The invasion of Georgia in 2008 was in fact an early indication of the Kremlin’s view of its historic role to recapture what was taken from it unjustly in the post 1991 collapse. Thus, we have two parallel developments: US inability to preserve its previous levels of engagement on the one hand, and Russia’s views of regaining what it lost on the other. These dual tracks demand a creative plan to stop Russia’s threats to independent countries and preserve global stability. If such a plan is absent, as it seems to be, the disorganized and unpredictable course of US recalibration would actually contribute not only to increasing global instability but also to a more aggressive Russian role. Radicalism and Jihadism is wrongly understood as a strategic threat to Russia. Moscow sees it as a limited security threat and, at the same time, as an opportunity. Violent Jihadism weakens the status quo in places which are seen as too close to the West. Sectarianism plays a similar role. It may ultimately put the Russians in Iraq as well. Ethnic incitement and cracks created a strategic ally for Russia in North of Syria, Ukraine, Moldavia and Lithuania, though Moscow’s interests are shown clearer in its focus on going south and south west. Energy pressures on a country like Bulgaria are but one example of the tools used by the Kremlin to enlarge its strategic horizons in areas which are deemed important. Then we have now Putin’s bold move into Syria.
In the Middle East, and in order to preserve stability all the while facilitating the region’s path forward to better governance and political reform, joint security arrangements are not enough. A comprehensive economic development plan is long due. Such Middle East Comprehensive Economic Development Plan will certainly reduce the threat of radicalism and terrorism all the while denying strategic foes the opportunities made available by the region’s own chaos and the reduction in traditional US military involvement. This plan should involve China and Russia. In a way it deprives the Kremlin from the possibility of military expansion in the region all the while giving Russian companies a fair access to developing the region. Economic development, not security pacts, should be seen as the primary foundation of regional stability, but only if it is implemented with particular focus on democratizing the region’s economies-that is to say an inclusive social participation in any given country’s economy.
As we explained in previous occasions, half-backed views about re-drawing the Sykes-Picot regional borders will throw the region into further turmoil. Instead, enhancing national identities in the region’s countries, as a process, is an essential element in its stability, integrity and independence. An economic development plan should be conceived on the bases of integrating any given country’s various regions, sects and ethnicities. A series of partitions would back fire on a strategic level in all aspects, be it vulnerability to foreign powers, including Russia and Iran or Jihadism and radicalism, refugees and humanitarian crisis and perpetual wars.
The old mantra of divide and rule is a two edged sword. As it serves someone, it gives his adversaries an opportunity as well. This mantra worked in past epochs when the world was not multipolar, at least not as we see it now. In Syria, Putin gave the world a tranquilizer injection when he announced that he is pulling out his forces. It appeared shortly after that what he did was merely resizing his forces in parallel with the new momentum he had already given to his allies. Putin also consolidated his ties with the Syrian Kurds all the while using them to keep the Turks off balance. After Syria, there will be another target in the Middle East. The best ally to the Russian President is instability. Russia has extensive energy reserves. Instability in the Middle East is an integral part of Moscow’s regional strategy. In light of the current absence of an adaptive plan, some regional countries will not even wait for the Russians to come to them, they will voluntarily go to Moscow. The US has to lead a global effort to develop the region’s economies. It is true that the pattern of East Asia was created under specific circumstances, but it is also true that the current strategic moment in the US as in the region requires a bold initiative that may change the course of the Middle East

Turkey and Iraq convulse: Bad news for Iran
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
Last week, events in Turkey and Iraq rocked the region and beyond in an unusual, startling way that should be seen as the new normal. A quick political shift in these two countries illustrates the moment. To be specific, both Ankara and Baghdad stepped into a new direction that is likely to affect Iran the most in terms of the Levantine strategic environment. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saw Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu as an impediment to revamp the country’s constitution to boost presidentialism. In addition, Erdogan and Davutoglu didn’t see eye to eye on other issues as a multi-million-dollar corruption scandal and the Kurdish issue, specifically the PKK, where the former sought a fist and the latter a flyswatter according to a Turkish interlocutor. But at the heart of the matter was full control over the Justice and Development Party (AKP) where Davutoglu headed the part which was interfering with Erdogan’s legislative plans. The Turkish president’s quest for absolute authority is now assured. While Ankara underwent a move towards power concentrated in the office of the Turkish presidency, Iraq’s political system, established with the help of America in the early 2000s, literally fell apart. Iraqi cleric Maqtada al-Sadr successfully set in motion a series of event culminating in the first ransacking of the coveted Green Zone. After months of demonstrating for better water and power supplies now accompanied by protests against the corruption and lack of governance by the Baghdad government, al-Sadr’s minions – and this is important – from all Iraqi social strata – made good on their promise to show their strength and resolve by occupying the Iraqi parliament building for three days. The sacred grounds of the Green Zone became occupied territory. The shock by observers was palpable. Al-Sadr is no stranger to Iraqi politics as any astute observer knows. While the Iraqi cleric’s acumen gave birth to the Mahdi Army espousing obviously Shiite rights and attacked and killed US forces, the Shiite cleric al-Sadr played the Baghdad power game with both Iraqi prime ministers, first Nuri Al-Maliki, and, second, Haidar al-Abadi.
Turkey’s turn to presidentialism directly affects Ankara’s foreign policy toward the Levant and ultimately Iran’s interests
A famous violent inter-Iraqi sectarian spasm occurred in 2008, when al-Maliki launched the “Charge of the Knights” against al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army in the city of Basra. ISIS’s drive into Iraq almost two years ago also played a role in al-Sadr actions on the home front. It egged the cleric to take action through his militia network and to chastize Baghdad government for incompetence. To be clear, al-Sadr is popular now because he is arguing that the al-Abadi government should appoint a non-sectarian government of technocrats. More salient is that al-Sadr approach is now receiving support for what is seen as his “Arab first” policy in Iraq. According to a GCC official, some GCC states want to encourage al-Sadr’s “Arabism” by recalling the make-up of the Shiite cleric’s minion. Interestingly, al-Sadr is playing a geographical game between Najaf and Qom based on ethnicity first: “For them, it is a first step to getting Iran out of Iraq’s Arab business.”
Leader or politician?
The press loves to put al-Sadr in the Tehran camp given that the Shiite cleric has spent substantial amounts of time in the Islamic Republic. Sorry folks, not so fast and certainly not that easy. Al-Sadr is certainly responsible for murder and mayhem. But the interesting point is al-Sadr is not trying to be a religious leader but an Arab politician; the reaction of Shiite militias to al-Sadr’s actions is without doubt proof. If true, that fact is breaking new ground. The question is whether al-Sadr’s moves are a temporary manifestation or a caricature that will take on a reality of its own.
Turkey’s turn to presidentialism directly affects Ankara’s foreign policy toward the Levant and ultimately Iran’s interests. With power concentrated in Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister is most certainly moving aggressively in his vision of the Levant. This vision, where Turkey has a major say in Syria and Iraq’s future, runs directly opposed to blatant Iranian interests to influence local politics and economics. Moreover, Ankara’s new strategic and tactical relationship with the GCC states against Iranian designs just got a boost with Davutoglu’s exist. The establishment of a Turkish military presence in Qatar is just a sample of Turkey’s alignment with the GCC monarchies.
Iraq’s parliamentary system is in shambles; al-Sadr made sure to shake things up. There are now new demands for action and the al-Abadi government is going to several rounds to correct the Iraqi dysfunction, greed, and corruption. Significantly, anti-Iranian chants were prominent during the Green Zone occupation and this element questions the ability for Tehran to keep its puppet strings active in Iraq and certainly, as time goes by Iran. Tehran is certainly at a crossroads of its own between the pragmatists and the principalists despite the second round election held last week. Their infighting bleeds also into Tehran’s objectives in the Levant that intersect with Ankara and Baghdad security interests. We know that the principalists will interfere in the Levant regardless of pragmatists’ wishes and desires. Now with Iranian Prime Minister Rowhani trying to transfer IRGC funding to the Iranian Armed Forces, the backlash will be felt stronger and quicker. Thus, the challenge to Tehran will be what comes next from Turkey and Iraq observing the machinations of the Iranian political universe and the impact on their own respective situations. The real question is not what the IRGC will be doing in the Levant but MOIS, the Iranian intelligence service, who controls the coffers for operations especially economic linkages through trade companies and tourist agencies. MOIS will have its hand’s full with the recent developments. Overall, in the space of a few days, the Turkish and Iraqi states are muting into a new political reality that affects Iran’s calculus in the Levant. While Turkey is literally circling the wagons politically and tactically, Baghdad, via al-Sadr, is undergoing a catharsis that is social by nature and Arab identity in practice. The coming months will illustrate further shifts that will challenge many states in the region especially the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Why the son of a Pakistani bus driver became London’s mayor
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
The British Labour Party’s Sadiq Khan, who is of Pakistani origin, was recently elected mayor of London. It was a deserved win. Prior to announcing the result, monitoring stations said Khan was likely to win. The son of a Pakistani bus driver, he has become mayor of the most important European capital, which has a significant imperial and civilized history. He did not win because of his ethnicity or religion, but because he is British. There is no difference between Khan’s citizenship and that of any other Briton. He won the mayoral election in the context of state, citizenship and self-efficacy. Khan’s victory represents a successful model for refugees and immigrants who go to Europe to live and settle For over two decades, Europe has used creative theories and ideas to ripen the meaning of the state and the basis of citizenship. It has done so by making use of its illustrious legacy of the “social contract,” whereby one’s worth is measured by what he or she is, not what they were or what they were born with. Example Khan’s victory represents a successful model for refugees and immigrants who go to Europe to live and settle. This victory shows them that European countries commit to strict rules and institutions, and that integration gives them a chance for equality. This integration and learning about true citizenship are achieved by committing to laws and regulations. Being a Muslim son of a bus driver who emigrated from Pakistan did not prevent Khan proving that he is worthy of being mayor by popular vote. His success symbolizes belonging to the state, achieving citizenship and succeeding at integration.

Saudi Vision 2030, reform and character change
Hassan Al Mustafa/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
“People tend to believe that one’s character would never change, but in the true sense of the word I think this is wrong, because it rather means that during human beings’ short life, motives cannot forge themselves deeply to eliminate what’s left of the millenniums,” said the late philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “However, if we imagine a human being at the age of 80,000, we can discover that his character can change a lot. In fact, this same human being can give birth to succeeding generations, each one different from the other. It is the short period of life that makes us constitute this wrong belief about human beings, and pushes us to defend his virtues,” he added. “Unchanging character” makes people “static human beings,” and makes them hold on tight to their habits, even if they make their lives hard or pay a price for conducting a wrong lifestyle. They reject change even if new and brighter opportunities await them. The main reason behind that is directly linked to psychology, because human beings are afraid of the unknown and of the future. In addition, being static creatures serves the social, economic and political interests of powerful individuals who brainwash people and monopolize their money. Another reason is that past experience – such as broken promises or stolen money – does not encourage people to advocate change. As a result, people have lost hope in change, believing that attempts at reform are a means to silence them without achieving concrete results.
Vested interests
Humans’ short life and impatience heavily influence their way of thinking and behavior, according to Nietzsche. These are the reasons why some commentators wish success for the Saudi Vision 2030, but in reality are reluctant and discouraged. Ministers must take into account the ideas of intellectuals and specialists to ensure the success of Vision 2030. Many political parties oppose any development or reform in the kingdom because it does not serve their interests. Therefore, they spread propaganda to convince people to reject change. What about low-income and working-class citizens who are mainly targeted by the socio-economic reforms? They do not understand national change, how it will be introduced, how long it will take to notice the effects, or what role they should play in the process. As such, ministers must communicate with their citizens and offer them practical plans. They must open a scientific and analytical dialogue with them and accept their criticism. They must take into account the ideas of intellectuals and specialists to ensure the success of Vision 2030. “The state is the entity that encompasses the institutions that belong to a historic group,” said philosopher Eric File. This group, constituted by citizens, have the right to monitor institutions’ performance and role, and to establish legal mechanisms to measure productivity. This way, everyone can participate in the realization of Vision 2030 and be proud of making the dream come true, a dream on which future generations will rely.

The Saudi Binladin Group deserves support
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/May 08/16/
Three headlines appeared in three different newspapers last week: “Ministry to ensure fair deal for Binladin staff”; “Quit or wait, Binladin tells 17,000 Saudi staff” and “Saudi Arabia lifts project bidding ban on crisis-hit Binladin Group”. The first one was a statement by Minister of Labor Mufrej Al-Haqbani who vowed to ensure that the Saudi Binladin Group keeps a promise to resolve wage issues, amid reports of workers at the company facing unpaid salaries and termination. This was said as reports of 10 company buses being set alight spread like wildfire through social media. It also received foreign attention and I was the recipient of several calls from international media organizations. I refused to state anything as the issue has not been resolved and we do not want to further excite those who want, for whatever reasons, to compound this issue. However, what saddened me was the response of some economic “experts” who seemed to imply that the Binladin Group was to blame. But let’s for history’s sake and as a decent people state the truth. The Binladin Group and the family have served this country for over six decades. As a family on a personal level, they are humble and down to earth. I have not seen them exhibit the arrogance and pomp shown by many of those in business and industry who only a decade or two ago were just petty officials!
Let the truth to be told.
This construction giant is so big and controls so many of the state’s projects that it has become an essential component of the Kingdom’s non-oil economy. All the Kings of Saudi Arabia have commended the role of this family in the economy of Saudi Arabia. As someone said, this construction giant is so big and controls so many of the state’s projects that it has become an essential component of the Kingdom’s non-oil economy. It deals with hundreds of smaller companies in the Kingdom and has banking relations with all of the banks. Of course, like all conglomerates, it has its plusses and minuses. However, it has always remained in the forefront of business and industry.
Blame game
Yes, a major crane disaster occurred and investigations are still going on and hopefully will be completed by the competent authorities. However, to jump to conclusions and play the blame game is something that I find disgusting. And this raises the question of the role being played by certain sections of the media. No one has checked into the Binladin Group’s receivables and payables, nor has anyone put a figure of how much is owed to them by both the state and private sector. There is much international precedent for mega-companies receiving government support. In the late 1980s, the US was faced with a crisis in its savings and loans banks. The government had to step in and it has been estimated that the ultimate cost to the US taxpayer was as much as $124 billion. Then as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, the US government bailed out major automobile manufacturers for tens of billions of dollars avoiding bankruptcy and the loss of three million jobs. It is an established fact that many Saudi companies have complained about the late payment of contract finances. The delayed payment to contractors always affects companies and I have been reading about this for ages. Yet Arabic TV channels are offering “solutions” to the beleaguered Binladin construction conglomerate. The Saudi Binladin Group, once described to me by an American journalist as the Trammell Crow of Saudi Arabia, referring to the gigantic Texas real estate company, has faced many obstacles in the past and is going through a turbulent patch now. This is the way of life. However, the Saudi Binladin Group will recover and all of us should wish them well.

The Secret Life of Sadiq Khan, London’s First Muslim Mayor

Maajid Nawaz/The Daily Beast/May 09/16
Yes, Sadiq Khan sucked up to extremist Muslims in the past, but, still, congratulations are in order for him—and the voters.
LONDON — It’s a piece of history. London has gained her first Muslim mayor, a fellow Pakistani-Brit. And though being Muslim bears absolutely no relevance to how Sadiq Khan intends to run London—for Islam is as ambivalent on the difficulties of London’s housing crisis as it is on the human gene sequence—his religion has become relevant.
In successfully integrating their Muslim residents, London, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the wider West have been going through something of an identity crisis.
Islamist Muslims who insist that humanity can only be judged by how Muslim it is, and anti-Muslim bigots who insist that humanity can only be judged by how Muslim it isn’t, have made Islam relevant.
The Regressive Left in Sadiq Khan’s Labour Party, and the Populist Right among Trump’s Republicans have made Islam a hot topic. The only way Islam will cease being an issue is when everyone, Muslim or not, is deemed to share the same rights, and is held to the very same liberal expectations.
Until then, discrimination will continue to feed the poisonous tribalism fueling modern identity politics. This applies whether that discrimination comes in the form of right-wing anti-Muslim bigotry, or in the form of the left-wing bigotry of low expectations that holds Muslims to lesser, illiberal standards. Until these twin bigotries are dealt with, Sadiq Khan’s religious affiliation will, sadly, remain a topic of debate.
In this way, the victory of London’s new mayor as a non-Islamist Muslim is as much a blow to Islamist bigots as it is to anti-Muslim bigots. This victory speaks to the possibilities of integration. It offers hope for our country’s new immigrant families. And as a symbol of social mobility, it provides aspiration to those from humble backgrounds.
Sadiq Khan’s victory is probably the only bit of good news Jeremy Corbyn’s far-left-led Labour Party can truly celebrate this weekend. And celebrate they should. Democracy has spoken. With it, a torn city might be able to begin healing the old wounds of identity and religion re-opened by the muddy campaign to get Khan elected, and the muddy campaign that opposed him.
These muddy campaigns were in fact a microcosm of the identity problems plaguing modern Europe. Is London’s new mayor an Islamist? This question drove a political pendulum swing to both extremes at the expense of a genuine conversation that really needs to be had.
I’ve known Sadiq Khan since 2002 when he was my lawyer while I served as an Islamist political prisoner in Egypt, before he became a Member of Parliament. I’m forever indebted to him for visiting me in Mazra Tora prison, while the world gave up on me.
Due to this history, many in the press asked me for my view on the veracity of the “Islamist” allegations surrounding the new mayor, but I refused to make my views known until after the elections. Yes, this conversation needed to be had, but I preferred to have it only when the tribalisms of left and right, of Muslim and non-Muslim, were left firmly at the door. Election season made that almost impossible.
Sadiq Khan is no Muslim extremist. And it is not only his track record voting for gay rights that proves this. Having known him when I was a Muslim extremist, I know that he did not subscribe to my then-theocratic views.
Many conservatives who desperately opposed Khan jumped the shark when they called him a “radical Islamist,” and linked him to sensationalist headlines that declared he had a “hardcore Islamist past.” Nuance is the friend of truth.
On the other hand many Muslims, and those on the left, preferred to bury their heads in the sand, chastising anyone who dared to challenge Khan on his past Islamist relationships, as “racists.” See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The Regressive Left’s overuse of the word racism on such matters is as unhelpful as the Populist Right’s overuse of the word “extremist.”
It is as racist to ask these questions, and to have this conversation, as it was when Londoners questioned the white, non-Muslim former Labour mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, about his links to Islamists, or when the press question the white, non-Muslim Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and the maverick white politician George Galloway over their ties to extremists.
In other words it’s not racist at all, as Atma Singh—Labour’s own South-Asian Affairs advisor to a former mayor of London—points out. To imply that it is, and to hold Sadiq Khan to a lesser standard than his white colleagues merely because he is a brown Muslim, is the very bigotry of low expectations that fuels identity politics even further. Alongside the environment, extremism is one of the most pressing issues of our day. Of course it will come up in an election campaign.
And in deference to the seriousness of the subject, and the lives lost over it, what came up about Khan’s alleged links to extremists is pertinent. Those questions needed to be asked. I cannot emphasize enough that I write as a liberal, who voted for a Liberal Democrat in this race, and not as a conservative. So now that the election is over, and London has its first Muslim mayor, let us step back and consider the smoke to this conservative fire.
The seeds were sown with Khan’s now-former in-laws. During London’s ’90s Islamist heyday, Khan’s brother-in-law Makbool Javaid was affiliated and listed as a spokesman to the now-banned terrorist group al-Muhajiroun, founded by the hate preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad, and then led by the infamous fanatic Anjem Choudary. I knew of Makbool back then, too. His brothers were colleagues of mine, affiliated to my former extremist organization, Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Through such connections Khan ingratiated himself in the London Islamist scene. In 2003, he appeared at a conference alongside Sajeel Abu Ibrahim, a member of that same banned al-Muhajiroun.
Sajeel ran a camp in Pakistan that trained the 7/7 bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan. Speaking there, too, was one Yasser al-Siri, who had been convicted in Egypt over a political assassination attempt that left a young girl dead.
In 2004, Khan gave evidence to the House of Commons in his capacity as the chair of the Muslim Council of Britain’s legal affairs committee. This is the same Muslim Council of Britain that chose to condone the recent Ahmedi murder victim in Glasgow, by declaring Ahmedis not Muslim.
In his MCB capacity, Khan argued in Parliament that the Muslim Brotherhood cleric Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi “is not the extremist that he is painted as being.”
This is Qaradawi who, among other things, authored a book called The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam, in which he justifies wife beating and discusses whether homosexuals should be killed.
Infamously, Qaradawi also issued a fatwa advocating suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, a view which has seen him join the likes of Omar Bakri Muhammad in being denied entry to the U.K.
Khan’s relationships with extremists ran so deep in fact, that he attended events for the jihadist rights group Cage, and wrote a foreword for one of their reports. Cage has since declared ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi-John’ to be a beautiful man live on the BBC.
Khan’s defence of such a prolific flirtation with Islamism is that he was a human-rights lawyer. However, most of these events were not attended in his capacity as a lawyer at all. One suspects he was simply trying to gain votes.
By 2010, with increasing grassroots popularity among highly organized Islamists and fundamentalists, but carrying the burden of the Labour Party’s War on Terror record, Khan’s bid to get re-elected in his home-base of South London’s Tooting was facing challenges from another Muslim. For unlike the Labour Party, this Muslim’s party had opposed the invasion of Iraq.
Khan’s rival was Liberal Democrat Nasser Butt. Liberal Democrat opposition to the Iraq war posed a serious challenge to Khan and his Muslim power base in Tooting. British South Asian Muslims—myself included—overwhelmingly opposed that war. “Luckily” for Khan, Nasser happened to be an Ahmadi Muslim. Yes, this is as relevant as Sadiq Khan being a Sunni Muslim. In other words not at all, in a perfect world. Alas, Khan’s world was far from perfect. Ahmedis are perhaps the most persecuted minority sects among Sunni Muslims.
Khan knew this, and yet this fact didn’t stop his campaign working closely with Tooting Mosque to stir up anti-Ahmedi sectarian hatred in order to secure the Sunni vote for his victory. For many of my fellow Sunni Muslims Nasser Butt being an Ahmedi was a doctrinal “offence” for which he was personally responsible, while Khan was too junior of an MP at that time to have much to do with the invasion of Iraq. By now, Khan’s religious writing was clearly on the mosque wall.
Again, Khan is no Muslim extremist. Indeed, this cannot be repeated enough. Nor can the fact that Khan clearly has a record of terribly poor judgment in surrounding himself with Islamists and Muslim extremists, and in using them for votes.
For a Muslim politician in modern Britain, this is incredibly tempting and increasingly possible. Neither Britain’s Conservatives nor its Liberal Democrats have been free of such electoral opportunism in the past.
When push comes to shove, gaining power becomes more important for politicians from all parties, than defending principles. And sadly, extremists remain among the most powerful organized forces in Britain’s Muslim grassroots.
But it did not need to be like this. As a column in The Wall Street Journal recently noted “Other Muslim leaders took a different approach”. So no, Khan is no extremist, but it certainly was not ‘racist’ to press him on these issues. Though the cry of racism did eventually boomerang to hit his own campaign.
It is only after knowing how Khan shored up his 2010 power base in Tooting, in part by demonizing his rival as being “not Muslim enough,” that the scandal that hit Khan on the last day of his campaign begins to makes sense.
It was discovered that in 2009 Khan used the racially divisive and derogatory term “Uncle Tom”—on Iranian State TV no less—to describe reforming liberal Muslims, who counter extremism. The question Khan answered here came in specific reference to my own organization, Quilliam.
By 2009, extremism had grown so rife among my own British Muslim community that, in a sign of our times, a Muslim government minister for Social Cohesion would find it politically expedient to call a group of Muslims, who were not in government, “Uncle Toms” simply for criticizing extremism.
The struggles that reforming liberal and ex-Muslims face every day, the dehumanization, the delegitimization, the excommunication, the outcasting, the threats, intimidation and the violence makes this inexcusable.
In their very nature, such slurs are designed to dehumanize the intended target as not Muslim enough, which in turn can incite Muslim on Muslim violence.
Today, Muslim terrorists kill more Muslims than people from any other faith, after they dehumanize them for being “not Muslim enough.” In such a climate, labeling counter-extremist Muslims as “Uncle Toms,” “House Muslims,” or “native Informants” is comparable to calling someone a heretic during the Inquisition, or a ni*** during U.S. segregation.
Degrading the “Muslimness” of someone claiming otherwise is a prerequisite to their murder by terrorists. The recent murder of an Ahmedi shopkeeper in Scotland—whose sect Khan vilified in his 2010 Tooting campaign—brings the seriousness of such slurs home. Khan knows all of this. He really should have known better.
Among my fellow liberals, it would never fly for a white candidate to say something racist, nor incite religious hatred against those deemed not Christian enough. Likewise, it shouldn’t when a brown Muslim politician does so. Khan’s last-minute general apology is a welcome start, but his time as mayor will need to show a track record of courting the right people, while distancing extremists, before it carries any weight.
Why is it OK for a mayor to have shared panels with all manner of Muslim extremists, while actively distancing himself from, and smearing counter-extremist Muslims?
Despite this, liberal Muslim reformers and ex-Muslims alike would probably still lend their good will and support to Khan.
To be honest, in his personal life he is pretty much a liberal Muslim. So much so that his old friends, the extremists, are already classifying him as a traitor for not being anti-Israel enough, and for supporting gay marriage equality.
In a funny twist, some Muslims are now comparing him to those he deemed “Uncle Toms” in the past. Politicians from across the West must learn from a past in playing politics with religion. For anti-Muslim bigots, we’re always too Muslim. For Muslim extremists, we’re never Muslim enough. Luckily for London’s “first Muslim mayor,” God invented Secularism.